A 15-year-old girl described being given cannabis and treated like a prostitute by a group of men in the seaside town of Rhyl, North Wales, as her police interview footage played in court.
Victim’s Police Interview Details
The teenager recounted feeling ‘gross’ while performing a sex act on the accused men, whom prosecutors describe as child traffickers. She is one of three girls, aged 15, 14, and 16, allegedly supplied with drugs and repeatedly raped by four men in Rhyl.
The girl first met Mustafa Iqbal, 43, a takeaway delivery driver on a scooter and alleged drug dealer, on a street in 2022 while under the influence of cannabis. She and a friend accepted an invitation to his home to smoke more, but three men allegedly groped her there.
Iqbal and Mohamed Usman Arshad, 36, a cafe owner, face rape charges involving the 15-year-old. She also described having sex with Ziaullah Badshah, 25, at his flat during Ramadan after going there to smoke cannabis. ‘He was horrible,’ she told police. ‘He treated me like a prostitute.’
Further Allegations Involving Travel and Deception
The girl alleged Jaswinder Singh, 65, a disability benefits recipient, drove her to London for a fake passport to enable clubbing. He reportedly gave her cannabis during the trip. Police responded in London after a friend raised concerns, but the girl protected the men, and no charges followed at that time.
Singh instructed her to pose as his 22-year-old carer to his sister, avoiding suspicion of involvement in an Asian grooming gang, the court heard.
Prosecution’s Case Overview
Prosecutor Owen Edwards KC outlined how the three victims were treated as ‘sexual commodities.’ Iqbal, Badshah, Arshad, and Singh, all from Rhyl, deny more than 20 counts of conspiracy to traffic children for sexual exploitation.
Sarah Gray, 53, from nearby Gronant, faces charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis. She is also accused of allowing her home to be used for sexual exploitation by Iqbal and perverting the course of justice by washing bedding after a rape involving handcuffs on the 16-year-old girl.
The trial at Caernarfon Crown Court continues.
