Reporting restriction on the Barrow-in-Furness grooming gang trial

Regular readers will have noticed that I have been following the  newspaper reports about the three Miah brothers, on trial in Preston at the Crown Court for historic sexual abuse and rape of five young girls. The local newspaper the North West Mail has felt able to report a little of the trial, within the confinements of the reporting restriction.  I didn’t repeat every article here, but kept a note of progress. The most recent report was last week, Thursday 17th August. 

A BROTHER accused of rape, kidnap, intimidation and other sexual offences in an historic grooming trial has denied ever seeing underage girls smoking or drinking at a family-run takeaway in Barrow. Amran Miah, 47, known by the nickname of ‘Jay’, denies 14 sexual offences, two charges of intimidation and one of kidnap.

He told the jury at Preston Crown Court that he had never seen drugs or alcohol being consumed by teenagers at Iesha’s on Rawlinson Street in Barrow. “I have never seen anything untoward happening there,” he said. “I have seen young girls in their school uniform there but they were not ever drinking or smoking. . . With all of the allegations it was my first response to distance myself from Barrow. I have not committed any of these crimes.”

Amran, who is alleged to have raped an underage girl at the takeaway, also denied ever knowing anything about teenagers being taken to parties at a nearby address.

His youngest brother Joman Miah, 37, denies 34 sexual offences and Alman Miah, 46, denies two other sex offences against a child.

The trial continues.

Except this week the trial doesn’t. The NW Mail hasn’t said anything about what went on in court but the Law Pages website, which are public access for all to see, shows that the matter is now adjourned to two dates next year. As the trial was expected in September last year the complainants are having to wait a long time to see justice.