LIVE: Trial of men accused of sexual offences in Rochdale to begin

The trial of a group of eight men accused of sexual offences in Rochdale is due to begin. The defendants are accused of multiple offences against two teenage girls in the town.

The alleged offences, said to have been committed between 2001 and 2006, include numerous counts of rape. Jurors will hear the prosecution's opening speech at Minshull Street Crown Court. Rossano Scamardella KC will address the jury.

The trial is expected to last up to 12 weeks.

These are the charges, in full, the men face. All eight deny each charge, having pleaded not guilty at earlier court hearings:

Reporter Andrew Bardsley will file live updates in the blog below...

A jury of 12 people, as well as additional two alternative jurors, has now been sworn in. Trial judge Jonathan Seely is addressing the jury on a number of matters ahead of the trial starting.

He told jurors that one of the eight defendants 'is not here'. Judge Seely told them: "Kasir Bashir is represented by Shahnawaz Khan. He is not here but he has previously pleaded not guilty to the counts that he faces. He has told his lawyers what his case is.

"Mr Shahnawaz Khan will be representing him throughout the trial. The fact that Kasir Bashir is not here does not affect your task, which is to decide whether Kasir Bashir is guilty of the charges against him.

"You must not speculate about the reason Kasir Bashir is not here. His absence is not evidence against him. It must not affect your judgement."

The judge told jurors that they must not carry out any research into the case. He tells them: "This case involves allegations of child sexual exploitation. It is inevitable that allegations of this nature can give rise to strong emotions.

"You are judges of the facts, of the