Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Schoolgirl claims Asian grooming gang sold her for sex

A WOMAN who was sold for sex as a schoolgirl told a Birmingham court on Wednesday (5) that her teachers did not intervene when rumours about her went around her school.

The woman said she was forced to perform sexual acts and raped when she tried to refuse the men's advances. On one occasion she was urinated on by one of the five men on trial at Birmingham Crown Court.


The offences are said to have taken place in Telford, Shropshire when the girl was just 12.

She was sexually exploited and "passed around like a piece of meat" until in her mid-teens, taken to a flat above a Perfect Pizza shop "to have sex with Asian men", and "lost count" of how many she was forced to sleep with, the court heard.

On Wednesday, jurors watched a video-recorded interview with the victim who said her family knew nothing at the time. But rumours went around her school, she added.

“I don’t know how people found out, but they did,” she said. “I wouldn’t say I was bullied for it, but I would get called names. It just made me keep it to myself even more.

“Even the teachers heard people saying these things and not one teacher pulled me to the side and asked me if things were all right. I was too scared to go and ask for help. But nobody said a word.”

Years after the abuse ended, she recognised photos of two alleged attackers, Mohammed Ali Sultan and Tanveer Ahmed, from press reports.

Opening the case on Monday, Michelle Heeley QC said the victim was sold for sex, first by Ahmed, who “befriended her” during a low point in her life and later by Ali Sultan.

The other men on trial are Amjad Hussain, 38, of Telford, who is accused of forcing her to perform oral sex on two separate occasions. A third man, Shafiq Younas, 35, of Wellington, near Telford, is accused of orally raping her.

Another man, Nazam Akhtar, 35, of Wellington, has been charged with rape. Mohammad Rizwan, 37, of Telford, is also on trial for allegedly forcing the girl to perform sex acts.

The men deny all the charges. The trial continues.

More For You

Baiju Bhatt

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. (Photo: Getty Images)

Baiju Bhatt named among youngest billionaires in US by Forbes

INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mandelson-Getty

Starmer dismissed Mandelson on Thursday after reading emails published by Bloomberg in which Mandelson defended Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Minister says Mandelson should never have been appointed

A CABINET minister has said Peter Mandelson should not have been made UK ambassador to the US, as criticism mounted over prime minister Keir Starmer’s judgment in appointing him.

Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary, told the BBC that Mandelson’s appointment was seen as “high-risk, high-reward” but that newly revealed emails changed the situation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shivani Raja MP leads fight to save Leicester Diwali celebrations

Shivani Raja MP

Shivani Raja MP leads fight to save Leicester Diwali celebrations

TWO Conservative MPs have launched a petition to stop Leicester City Council cutting back this year's Diwali celebrations.

Shivani Raja, MP for Leicester East, and Neil O'Brien, who represents nearby Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, started the Change.org petition on Wednesday (10) after the council announced plans to remove key elements from the October 20 event.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indian American hotel employee beheaded in Dallas

Chandra Nagamallaiah (R) was stabbed and beheaded on duty; Yordanis Cobos-Martinez was arrested and charged for the killing.

Indian American hotel employee beheaded in Dallas

A STAFF MEMBER at Downtown Suites Dallas, US, was killed on Wednesday (10) morning. Chandra Nagamallaiah, 50, was stabbed and beheaded on duty in front of his wife and son, according to reports.

Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, was arrested and charged in the killing, which reportedly stemmed from an argument over a broken washing machine, media reports said, citing the Dallas Police Department.

Keep ReadingShow less
Deadly Pakistan floods force over two million to flee their homes

Residents sit in a rescue boat as they evacuate following monsoon rains and rising water levels in the Chenab River, in Basti Khan Bela, on the outskirts of Jalalpur Pirwala, Punjab province, Pakistan, September 10, 2025. REUTERS/Quratulain Asim

Deadly Pakistan floods force over two million to flee their homes

OVER two million people have been forced to leave their homes as devastating floods continue to sweep across Pakistan's eastern regions, authorities announced.

The worst-hit area is Punjab province, where more than two million residents have been evacuated. An additional 150,000 people have fled Sindh province, according to national disaster management chief Inam Haider Malik, who warned that the "number may rise over the coming days".

Keep ReadingShow less