Dudley man among 29 to face child abuse trial
A man from Dudley is among 29 people who will go on trial in relation to the sexual exploitation of children.
Twenty six men and two women face a total of 170 charges as part of a major police investigation.
They include Saqib Raheel, aged 30, of Stourbridge Road, Dudley, who is charged with trafficking and child abduction.
The majority of the accused are from Huddersfield in West Yorkshire.
The defendants appeared at Leeds Crown Court yesterday where they were greeted by protesters outside the court building amid a large police presence.
The crimes are alleged to have taken place between 2004 and 2011, and relate to 18 women, who were children at the time. The youngest child involved was 11 years old.
Judge Peter Collier QC ruled that the cases will be heard in three separate trials starting in January.
