Rapist admits guilt in schoolgirl abuse trial

Mohammed Ali Rehman dramatically changed his plea at Leeds Crown Court yesterday on the third day of a trial in which the jury had already seen clips filmed on a mobile phone by one of the 15-year-old’s molesters of some of her ordeal.

The court was due to resume watching the girl’s video interview in which she was describing in harrowing detail the events of that night, when Rehman’s counsel asked for the charges to be put to him again.

Rehman, 26, of Tanhouse Street, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury then admitted three charges of raping the teenager, now 17 and of Asian background, and one of attempted rape and the jury formally convicted him.

A short time later another defendant, Faisar Younas, 23, of Textile Street, Dewsbury, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child, a charge the prosecution accepted, he having denied oral rape, and the trial was halted at that stage.

Judge Scott Wolstenholme discharged the jurors from giving further verdicts after hearing from Sharon Beattie, prosecuting, that the Crown proposed to offer no further evidence against three other defendants.

The judge told them earlier in the week a third defendant, taxi driver Larasab Hussain, had already changed his plea and admitted a sexual assault on the schoolgirl when she was showering. Miss Beattie said the Crown had reviewed the situation following the three convictions and with the complainant’s welfare uppermost in mind had decided not to continue with the trial.

She said the prosecution had “no concerns about the witness’s credibility or reliability” but the position of the other three defendants was different to those already convicted. She said the views of the victim had been fully canvassed.

Judge Wolstenholme told the jury it would not be right for them to enter not guilty pleas on the trio since the only evidence they had heard was towards establishing their guilt, they had not heard the girl’s full evidence or anything put forward by their defence.

“Miss Beattie on behalf of the prosecution has decided in the full knowledge of all the background that the Crown no longer seeks verdicts against them.”

He apologised to the jury for the “dreadful” phone clips they were shown and the distressing nature of the case but told them “in the end I hope you feel justice has been achieved.”

The schoolgirl and a friend had been drinking vodka before they went to Rehman’s then address in Sackville Street so the friend could get some cannabis from him.

When the friend left, however, the girl, who had been given more drink, remained. She was then raped by Rehman before he physically carried her over his shoulder to an address of Younas in Myrtle Street, where she was further abused by him.

She was then driven in Larasab Hussain’s taxi to an unknown third address where she was filmed naked on Hussain’s phone being molested before Hussain sexually assaulted her as she took a shower before she was returned to the first address.

Those cleared were Rehman’s brother Hassan, 19, and Wahid Hussain, 20, of Broomer Street, Ravensthorpe, found not guilty of attempting to rape the girl at the second address and Saquib Hussain, 31, of Huddersfield Road, Ravensthorpe found not guilty of a sexual assault.

After the case Det Insp Andy Leonard of the Kirklees Safeguarding Unit said every child exploitation case was different “this was opportunistic taking advantage of a vulnerable girl when the situation presented itself, but by working together, police, social workers, teachers and other agencies we are catching those involved.”

Pc Karen George said the girl had found reliving her ordeal in court traumatic. “She is relieved it is over and wants to get on with her life.”