Nine men appear in court accused of historic child sex offences as provisional trial date set

Nine men have appeared in court accused of historic child sex offences as a provisional trial date has been set.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) announced on May 2 that 11 men were charged in connection with Operation Lytton – an ongoing investigation into historic sex offences against children.

They have been accused of multiple offences against three teenage girls, aged between 13 and 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in Rochdale between 2000 and 2007.

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Today (June 7), at a preliminary hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court, two of the men charged, namely Tahir Rashid, 52, of Hudsons Walk, Rochdale; and Roheez Khan, 37, of Athole Street, Rochdale, did not appear at the hearing.

No pleas were entered at the hearing, and a provisional trial date was set for January 13 2025. The men were bailed until a further case management hearing later this year.

Those accused are: Mohammed Zahid, 42, of Station Road, Crumpsall, Manchester, accused of 32 offences, including rape, trafficking persons within the UK for sexual exploitation, penetrative sexual activity with an underage girl, gross indecency with an underage girl and procuring an underage girl to have unlawful sexual intercourse with unknown males.

Roheez Khan, 37, of Athole Street, Rochdale, is accused of two counts of rape and one of penetrative sexual activity, involving girls aged 15 to 17.

Arfan Khan, 38, of Grouse Street, Rochdale, is accused of two counts of rape and two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child, involving two girls aged 14.

Mohammad Salim, 44, of Dittonmead Close, Rochdale, is accused of four counts of rape and four counts of engaging in penetrative sexual