DETECTIVES have charged 31 people with offences including rape and trafficking after an investigation into sexual offences against children in the Huddersfield area.
Like Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford, Huddersfield is a left behind working-class former Industrial town that is a Labour strong-hold.
Huddersfield, close to Leeds in West Yorkshire has a population of around 162,949.
West Yorkshire Police said the five alleged victims were girls aged between 12 and 18, with the offences said to have occurred between 2005 and 2012.
Thirty men and one woman will appear at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on September 5 and 6.
West Yorkshire Police said the accused include:
Banaras Hussain, 37, of Shipley, charged with one count of rape of a female over 16.
Banaris Hussain, 35, of Huddersfield, charged with one count of rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Mohammed Suhail Arif, 30, of Huddersfield, charged with rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Iftikar Ali, 37, of Huddersfield, charged with attempted rape of a girl aged 13-15 and three counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Mohammed Sajjad, 31, of Huddersfield, charged with four counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15, one rape of a girl under 13 and facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
Fehreen Rafiq, 38, of Huddersfield, charged with two counts of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
Umar Zaman, 30, of Huddersfield, charged with two counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Basharat Hussain, 31, of Huddersfield, charged with two counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Amin Ali Choli, 36, of Huddersfield, charged with two counts of rape of a female over 16.
Shaqeel Hussain, 35, of Dewsbury, charged with rape of a girl aged 13-15 and two counts of trafficking.
Mubasher Hussain, 35, of Huddersfield, charged with rape of a girl aged 13-15 and sexual assault.
Abdul Majid, 34, of Huddersfield, charged with two counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Mohammed Dogar, 35, of Huddersfield, charged with two counts of facilitating the commission of child sex offence.
Usman Ali, 32, of Huddersfield, charged with two counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Mohammed Waqas Anwar, 29, of Huddersfield, charged with five counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Gul Riaz, 42, of Huddersfield, charged with rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Mohammed Akram, 41, of Huddersfield, charged with two counts of trafficking with a view to sexual exploitation of a female and rape of a girl aged 14-15.
Manzoor Akhtar, 29, of Huddersfield, charged with trafficking and three counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15.
Samuel Fikru, 30, of Camden, charged with two counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15.
A further 12 men who cannot be named for legal reasons have been charged with “numerous offences in connection with the same investigation”.
