Jury in Rochdale child sexual exploitation trial discharged for legal reasons
Eight men deny various offences against two teenage girls between 2001 and 2006.
Tuesday 28 January 2025 14:46, UK
The jury in a trial of eight men accused of historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale has been discharged for legal reasons.
The men deny various alleged sexual offences said to have been committed against two teenage girls between 2001 and 2006.
Both of the alleged victims are said to have been targeted from the age of 13.
The prosecution opened its case last week but on Tuesday the jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court was discharged by Judge Jonathan Seely.
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A new jury will be selected later for the trial, which is expected to last three months.
Naheem Akram, 48, Mohammed Shahzad, 43, Nisar Hussain, 43, Roheez Khan, 39, Arfan Khan, 40, who are all from Rochdale; Mohammed Zahid, 64, from Manchester; Mushtaq Ahmed, 66, and Kasir Bashir, 50, who are both from Oldham, deny all of the charges against them.