South Yorkshire man 'goaded' 13-year-old girl into performing sex act on him in his car, court told

A South Yorkshire man '˜goaded' a 13-year-old girl into performing a sex act on him in his car, as part of a campaign of sexual exploitation against the girl carried out by him and his relatives, a court has heard.
Arshid Hussain, 42, went on trial at Sheffield Crown Court today, accused of one count of indecent assault relating to the incident which is alleged to have taken place in Rotherham between January and February2003, when he was aged 27.Arshid Hussain, 42, went on trial at Sheffield Crown Court today, accused of one count of indecent assault relating to the incident which is alleged to have taken place in Rotherham between January and February2003, when he was aged 27.
Arshid Hussain, 42, went on trial at Sheffield Crown Court today, accused of one count of indecent assault relating to the incident which is alleged to have taken place in Rotherham between January and February2003, when he was aged 27.

Arshid Hussain, 42, went on trial at Sheffield Crown Court today accused of one count of indecent assault relating to the incident which is alleged to have taken place in Rotherham between January and February 2003, when he was aged 27.

Prosecutor, Peter Hampton, told the court how the girl and her friends met Arshid, formerly of of High Street, East Cowick, Goole, through his cousin Sageer Hussain, and believed they were her friends.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Hampton said: “They would meet these lads in Rotherham Town Centre. The girls trusted these friends.”

He explained how Sageer ‘took the lead’ in grooming the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and introduced her to older men, including Arshid and Arshid’s brother, Basharat Hussain.

“Sagheer Hussain established a pattern of abuse whereby he encouraged his friends and family to have sex with her as well as raping her himself. They threatened not to remain friends with her if she refused.

"Too naive to know better, she regarded their friendship as important to her.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"They also told her, a 13-year-old, she owed them something as they had given her cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis,” continued Mr Hampton.

Mr Hampton said the girl was ‘goaded’ into performing oral sex on Arshid in his red Subaru vehicle near a loading bay close to an alleyway next to Boots in Rotherham town centre.

In a separate incident, the girl was pressured into performing the same act on Basharat in the same location, while she was in his sky blue Subaru car, the court was told.

Mr Hampton told the court Sageer, Basharat and their cousin Asif Ali, were convicted with five other men of the sexual exploitation of the girl, following a trial last year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Arshid’s alleged victim, who is now 28-years-old, first went to the police about Sageer’s offending only in 2003, but was ‘intimidated’ into dropping the case.

She went back to the police in 2013 when she realised the force were investigating historic child sexual exploitation in the Rotherham area.

She also reported Arshid’s alleged offending at this time.

Arshid's victim identified Arshid and Basharat, who she knew by their nicknames 'Ash' and 'Bash,' during identification parades in 2015, but confused their names.

Mr Hampton said: "You will want to consider carefully the fact that the girl seems to have mixed up the names.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Please do, the prosecution suggest you will be left with the final analysis that she has alleged that both men assaulted her indecently, and that she has identified both brothers separately, regardless of that discrepancy."

Judge Sarah Wright told jurors Arshid was not present at the opening day of the trial trial for ‘health reasons’.

She said: "I've allowed him to be absent, and that's why he's not sitting in the court."

Arshid denies one count of indecent assault.

The trial, which is due to last for one week, continues.