Market stall holders branded as 'gangsters' at Rochdale sex abuse trial, as accused claim alleged victim wanted 'quick easy money'

Market stall holders have been branded as 'gangsters' at the trial of eight men accused of sex abuse in Rochdale.

The men on trial have been charged with various sexual offences, alleged to have been committed against two girls between 2001 and 2006 in Rochdale. Prosecutors have claimed that the two teenage girls, known as Girl A and Girl B, were treated as ‘sex slaves’, and ‘passed around’ before being ‘discarded’.

But today (January 23), one of the accused claimed that an alleged victim wanted 'quick easy money'.

Mohammed Zahid, 64; Kasir Bashir, 50; Mushtaq Ahmed, 66; Roheez Khan, 39; Mohammed Shahzad, 43; Nisar Hussain, 43; Naheem Akram, 48; and Arfan Khan, 40, deny all the charges they face. Mr Zahid, a market stall holder at Rochdale market at the time, is alleged to have been ‘at the centre’ of the alleged abuse and was known as ‘boss’ or boss man’, Minshull Street Crown Court has heard.

Prosecutors continued to open their case against the defendants on the second day of the trial. Rossano Scamardella KC told the jury about interviews the police had conducted with the accused.

Market trader Mushtaq Ahmed, said to have been a friend of Mr Zahid and Mr Bashir, who was also a market trader. During his first interview, he denied knowing Girl B and said he’d never seen her before.

He said he did not recognise Mr Bashir. He said he was aware of Mr Zahid but didn’t directly know him. He denied all the allegations and claimed Girl B was ‘lying’.

Mr Ahmed was then interviewed for a second time. The prosecutor said: “In this interview Mr Ahmed told police that his first interview was full of lies.”

“He admitted that he had lied about not knowing Mr Zahid, he had lied about not knowing Mr Bashir and lied about not knowing