Six men deny being involved in South Wales grooming gang that ‘raped and sexually abused children over 11-year period’

Six of nine men accused of belonging to a grooming gang have denied raping and sexually abusing children in South Wales over an 11-year period, at a hearing at Cardiff Crown Court. The men, aged between 54 and 76 and all British citizens, were arrested in July as part of Gwent Police's Operation Oak, an investigation into allegations of group-based child sexual exploitation against victims between 1985 and 1996. All nine were granted conditional bail ahead of a trial expected to begin in January 2028 and to last between 16 and 20 weeks.

The defendants who entered not guilty pleas on Friday were Shafaq Mohammed, 58, of Birmingham (six counts of rape, buggery without consent, aiding and abetting rape and causing prostitution); Syed Mohammad Ashan Taqvi, 65, of Newport (four counts of rape); Mohammed Sheikh Abdul Hannan, 54, of Edinburgh (indecent assault, rape, aiding and abetting rape and conspiracy to rape); Kevin Lawrence, 54, of Dunoon (conspiracy to rape and causing prostitution); Aminur Rahman Choudhury, 58, of Tottenham (one count of rape); and Murad Ali, 57, of Swansea (two counts of rape). Three further defendants — Sheikh Mohammed Tahir Ullah, 73, Mohammed Ramzan, 76, and Shakeel Babur, 58 — face similar historical sexual offence charges and are due to enter pleas at a later date. The case will be heard by Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, and police have urged the public not to post material on social media that could prejudice proceedings.