Girl 'wasn't permitted to leave house', Rotherham abuse trial told

One of the alleged victims in the Rotherham child sexual exploitation trial was locked in a house for weeks and made to have sex with a succession of men.

The woman, who is now 36, was subjected to regular sex attacks by defendant Arshid Hussain who met her first when she was put in local authority care at the age of 11.

Michelle Colborne QC, prosecuting, told the jury: “His exploitation of (her) was violent and protracted.

“Initially she attempted to say no but was always beaten if she refused and quickly learned to give in to his demands.”

Ms Colborne said: “He passed her to his brother and friends and, over time, gave her as a payment to men for debts he owed.

“She was beaten, had a cigarette stubbed out on her chest, she was tied up, she was raped orally, vaginally and anally from a very young age, often by numerous men, one after the other, at the say-so of Arshid Hussain.”

She said: “She was insecure and vulnerable and believed he was her boyfriend.”

She told the court: “Her recollection is that the violence became a regular thing when she lived at the children’s home and seemingly no-one was interested in whether she returned in a bloodied state.”

The prosecutor said that at times the girl told children’s home staff what was happening but they accused her of “covering up for running away”.

Ms Colborne said: “Throughout these years in the care system, before (the girl) turned 16, she had to have sex with different Asian men on a daily basis.

“They were older than her. Some were in their 30s and sometimes there were up to three a day.

“Arshid Hussain would put pressure on her to do it and leave her with no choice – if she loved him, she would do it, if she didn’t then he would hurt her.”

Ms Colborne told the jury how this girl stayed at defendant Karen MacGregor’s house for a number of weeks and “she wasn’t permitted to leave”.

During this time Asian men were brought to the house and she was told to have sex with them in exchange for being looked after.

“On one occasion she tried to escape through a window but Karen MacGregor caught her and she was beaten,” the prosecutor said.

“Her belief was that the women got money in exchange for her performing sexual acts with the men.”

Ms Colborne said that this girl eventually escaped and later left Rotherham but she returned to the town when she was 20.

She told the jury how, after she returned, she was raped in a pub by Arshid Hussain as another defendant, Sajid Bostan, held her legs.

“When he was finished he spat at her and told Saj that he could ’have her’,” the prosecutor said.

“Her legs were tied in the sheet and she was subjected to vaginal and anal rape by him.

“She repeatedly asked them to stop and Ash told her not to waste his time.”