Jurors told to avoid speculating on absence of suspect

JURORS in the trial of seven men accused of historic sexual offences in Rochdale have been told not to speculate why one of them isn’t in the dock.

- BY PA, ANDREW BARDSLEY

The prosecution allege the complain ants were groomed from the age of 13 to have sex with the men “whenever and wherever they wanted”. The defendants all deny various sexual offences, including rape and indecent assault, said to have been committed between 2001 and 2006.

One of the accused, Kasir Bashir, 50, has not attended the trial at Minshull Street Crown Court. It is alleged the former stallholder on Rochdale Market raped one of the complainants, Girl B, on multiple occasions at a house in Oldham.