Six men have denied being part of a grooming gang accused of raping and sexually abusing children in South Wales for more than a decade. The alleged offenses occurred between 1985 and 1996.
Nine men, aged between 54 and 76, were arrested in July as part of an investigation into the allegations. Of these, six entered not guilty pleas to a series of historical sexual offenses when they appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday. All nine men were granted conditional bail.
A trial is scheduled to begin in January 2028 and is predicted to last between 16 and 20 weeks. The case is being heard before Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff.
Those who entered not guilty pleas include Shafaq Mohammed, 58, of Birmingham, who denied six counts of rape, one count of buggery without consent, two counts of aiding and abetting rape, and two counts of causing prostitution. Syed Mohammad Ashan Taqvi, 65, of Newport, denied four counts of rape.
Mohammed Sheikh Abdul Hannan, 54, of Edinburgh, denied one count of indecent assault, two counts of rape, three counts of aiding and abetting rape, and one count of conspiracy to rape. Murad Ali, 57, of Swansea, denied two counts of rape. Aminur Rahman Choudhury, 58, of Tottenham, north London, denied one count of rape. Kevin Lawrence, 54, of Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, denied one count of conspiracy to rape and one count of causing prostitution.
Three other defendants are due to enter pleas at a later date. These include Sheikh Mohammed Tahir Ullah, 73, of Newport, charged with one count of raping a female aged 16 years or over and one count of raping a female under 16. Mohammed Ramzan, 76, of Newport, faces charges including two counts of raping a female under 16, three counts of indecent assault on a girl under 16, one count of causing the prostitution of a girl under 16, and one count of conspiring to rape a girl under 16. Shakeel Babur, 58, of Nelson, Lancashire, is charged with four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16.
The investigation, known as Operation Oak, has been described by Gwent Police as a complex and long-running investigation into group-based child sexual exploitation in South Wales. Detective chief superintendent Andrew Tuck previously stated that it is vital for victims and the integrity of the investigation that nothing is posted on social media that could affect court proceedings. He added that anyone who reports child abuse will be taken seriously and urged those who have experienced abuse, or are concerned someone may be suffering, to come forward.