Trial of police officer and 15 others accused of child sex abuse delayed by a year

A trial relating to the alleged non-recent sexual exploitation of children in Halifax has been delayed by a year.

Amjad Hussain, also known as Amjad Ditta, is among 16 men charged in relation to the alleged abuse of three teenage girls in Halifax between 2006 and 2009.

The charges include rape, supplying drugs, trafficking, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and making threats to kill.

Ditta, 35, is a police constable based within West Yorkshire Police's protective services team but he is currently suspended from duty.

He is accused of sexually touching one of the girls at a time when he was a serving police officer.

His co-accused are:

• Mohammed Vaqaas Abbas, 30, who denies three counts of rape and three of supplying a class C drug
• Nadeem Adalat, 34, who has pleaded not guilty to four charges of rape and four of supply of a class C drug
• Sajid Adalat, 44, who denies rape
• Waseem Adalat, 33, who denies two counts of rape, as well as single counts of trafficking, supply of a class C drug and common assault
• Christopher Eastwood, 45, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape and two counts of supply of a class C drug
• Mahtab Islam, 46, who denies six counts of rape, three of supplying a class A drug, three of supplying a class C drug, two of sexual assault and one of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice
• Mohammed Rizwan Iqbal, 34, who denies a charge of rape
• Ishtiaq Latif, 32, who has pleaded not guilty to sexual activity with a child
• Asad Mahmood, 33, who denies two counts of rape, one of trafficking and one of common assault
• Younis Mohammed, 34, who has pleaded not guilty to rape and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent
• Shahzad Nowaz, 40, who has denied rape, supply of a class C drug and making threats to kill
• Shazad Nazir, 44, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape and two of supply of a class C drug
• Sohail Zafar, 36, who has denied rape and supplying a class C drug
• Nadeem Nassir, 39, who faces charges of rape, supplying a class C drug and making threats to kill
• Khalifa Mughal, 36, who faces six counts of rape, as well as single counts of supply of a class C drug, supply of a class A drug and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

The men were due to go on trial at Bradford Crown Court on September 14 this year.

However, the trial did not go ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The trial has been listed for October 4 next year.

Ditta is on unconditional bail.

The 15 other defendants are on bail with conditions, including to live and sleep at their home address and inform police of any plans to travel outside the UK.