Woman who alleges she was sexually abused by 50 men in Rochdale tells jury she is ‘not in it for the money’

Some reporting of the trial at Crown Court Minshull Street is being permitted.  From the Manchester Evening News

A woman who alleged that she was sexually abused by 50 men in Rochdale when she was a child has told a jury she is ‘not in it for the money’.

Eight men are on trial at Minshull Street Crown Court accused of 80 sexual offences against the woman, Girl A, and a second complainant, Girl B, between 2002 and 2006. The two alleged victims cannot be named for legal reasons.

The first complainant was 12-years-old when the alleged abuse first started, when she and the second complainant, aged 13, were plied with drink and drugs then sexually abused for four years by men in the town, prosecutors allege.

On Tuesday (June 6), the woman told jurors that she was a victim of child sexual exploitation, and had been raped by two other men in Rochdale. Both men had pleaded guilty and the woman later received a total compensation of £27,500 in 2018, the court heard.

Jurors were told that the woman made a further claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) in relation to 50 men she alleged sexually abused her.

In cross examination, Claire Wade KC, representing Mohammed Ghani, said: “The more men, on your account, the more compensation you would be entitled to?” The woman replied: “No, I don’t agree,” later adding: “I don’t want you to think I’m in it for the money. It’s not about money. It’s about the people who have done me wrong in life.”

“Being groomed, I was given alcohol [and] befriended by these men. They made me feel like I was their best mate, I ended up having sex with one person, and was then passed on to their friend and then had sex with another friend. That’s how I was being groomed, they supplied alcohol and food.”

She said her reputation was affected, telling the court she was called a ‘s**g’ and a ‘b***h’, and has since moved out of Rochdale. “These men have just ruined my life. I didn’t realise it at the time. I’ve grown up, I realise how bad it actually was. I just thought they were friends. I’m branded,” she wept.