Eight men charged in child sexual exploitation investigation

Mark Mansfield

Eight men have been charged with 34 offences, including 17 counts of rape, following a long-running police investigation into allegations of group-based child sexual exploitation in south Wales.

The charges follow Gwent Police’s Operation Oak investigation into reports from a number of women who say they were sexually abused as children between 1985 and 1996.

Detectives carried out coordinated arrests on 14 July in Newport, Swansea, Birmingham, London, Lancashire, Edinburgh and Dunoon in Scotland.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised 34 charges relating to eight alleged victims, all of whom were children at the time of the alleged offences.

Some of the rape charges relate to multiple alleged incidents.

The eight men, aged between 54 and 73, are all British citizens and have been bailed to appear before Newport Magistrates’ Court on 24 July.

Those charged are:

Shafaq Mohammed, 58, of Birmingham, charged with 11 offences including seven counts of rape, two counts of aiding and abetting rape, and two prostitution offences under the Sexual Offences Act 1956.

Syed Mohammad Ashan Taqvi, 65, of Newport, charged with three counts of rape of a girl under 16.

Mohammed Sheikh Abdul Hannan, 54, of Edinburgh, charged with eight offences including rape, indecent assault, conspiracy to rape and aiding and abetting rape.

Kevin Lawrence, 54, of Dunoon, charged with two counts of conspiracy to rape and causing the prostitution of a woman.

Sheikh Mohammed Tahir Ullah, 73, of Newport, charged with two counts of rape.

Aminur Rahman Chowdhury, 58, of Tottenham, London, charged with one count of rape.

Shakeel Babur, 58, of Lancashire, charged with four counts of indecent assault on a girl under 16.

Murad Ali, 57, of Swansea, charged with two counts of rape of a girl under 16.

Detective Chief Superintendent Andrew Tuck described Operation Oak as a “complex and long-running investigation” into group-based child sexual exploitation.

“Through our partnership with the CPS, we have now reached this significant stage in which eight men have been charged,” he said.

“At the heart of our investigation has been supporting victims. Together with specialist agencies, we are continuing to provide support to them.”

He urged people not to post material on social media that could prejudice the criminal proceedings and encouraged anyone who had experienced child abuse to come forward.

Public interest

Jenny Hopkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, said prosecutors had concluded there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it was in the public interest to do so.

She said: “We have decided to prosecute eight men with rape and child sexual abuse charges for alleged offending during 1985 to 1996 following a Gwent Police investigation into organised grooming gang activity in South Wales.”

She also reminded the public that the proceedings are now active and warned against any reporting or online commentary that could prejudice the defendants’ right to a fair trial.