12 men appear at Sheffield Magistrates' Court accused of 44 historical child sex offences

Top left: L>R Nabeel Kurshid, 34, Iqlak Yousaf, 33, Ali Akhtar, 36; Top right: Amjal Rafiq, 38 (blue coat) and Aftab Hussain, 38 (far right); Bottom left: Tanweer Ali, 36; Bottom right: Sharaz Hussain, 33,

The men, all aged between 33 and 38 appeared in court charged with 44 child sexual abuse offences including rape, indecent assault, supply of controlled drugs and false imprisonment as part of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Operation Stovewood.

Below is a list of the defendants, and the charges they face:

- Salah Ahmed El-Hakam, 38, of Tudor Close, Darnall, Sheffield: rape of a girl aged under 16.

Salah Ahmed El-Hakam, 38, arrives at Sheffield Magistrates' Court. Picture: Tom Maddick

- Mohammed Ashan, 33, of Leyland, Lancashire: two counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; two of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Mohammed Imran Akhtar, 36, of East Road, Rotherham: four counts of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16, supplying a Class B drug, rape of a girl aged under 16, aiding and abetting rape of a girl aged under 16, sexual touching of a girl aged 13 or over, and procuring a female under 21 for unlawful sexual intercourse.

- Tanweer Ali, 36, of Godstone Road, Rotherham: two counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; two of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16, one of false imprisonment.

- Aftab Hussain, 38, of York Road, Rotherham: three counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; two of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16; one of detaining a child to keep her from a person having lawful control.

Amjal Rafiq, 38 (blue coat) and Aftab Hussain, 38 (far right) leave Sheffield Magistrates' Court. Picture: Tom Maddick

- Sharaz Hussain, 33, of Fitzwilliam Road, Rotherham: indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Nabeel Kurshid, 34, of Warwick Street, Rotherham: two counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; one of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Masaeud Malik: indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Amjal Rafiq, 38, of Warwick Street, Rotherham: indecent assault of a girl aged under 16 and false imprisonment.

Iqlak Yousaf, 33, arrives at Sheffield Magistrates' Court. Picture: Tom Maddick

- Abid Saddiq, 36, of Walter Street, Rotherham : four counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; five of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Iqlak Yousaf, 33, of Tooker Road, Rotherham: two counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; one of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Waseem Khaliq, 33, of Wetherby: rape of a girl aged under 16.

The offences relate to the sexual abuse of eight girls under the age of 16, in the Rotherham area, over a five year period which runs from 1998 to 2003.Nine of the men, all from the Rotherham area, appeared before Sheffield District Judge Naomi Redhouse and were granted bail.

Mohammed Ashan, 33, Masaeud Malik, 33 and Waseem Khaliq, 33, appeared via video link and were remanded in custody.

Operation Stovewood is the NCA’s investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse in Rotherham between 1997-2013.

Senior Investigating Officer, Paul Williamson said of the ongoing investigation: “We have now charged 21 men with over 94 child sexual abuse offences and expect this number to increase as more victims come forward. Officers are investigating more than 80 suspects and with the support of partner agencies, are currently engaging with 235 victims.

“Our focus is to bring lasting and worthwhile benefits for victims, helping to build better futures. We will listen to their accounts and investigate allegations made to identify and bring offenders to justice. This focus has not wavered and we, along with our partners will persist in our efforts to make Rotherham a hostile environment for child sex offenders”.