ONE of the alleged victims of a gang of men accused of raping teenagers in an empty house broke down as she gave evidence.

The girl was being cross-examined via video link during the trial of Shahid Hussain, 37, of Drake Street, Tanveer Butt, 39, of St Albans Street, both Rochdale, Amjad Hussain, 34, of Sharples Street, Accrington and Stephanie Knight, 19, of Preston New Road, Blackburn, who all deny two counts of conspiracy to rape, between December 4 and 7, 2009.

Nicola Daley, defending for Amjad Hussain, put it to the girl that she regularly gave oral sex to men, despite being warned by a support team from multi-agency child sex exploitation unit Engage.

Her client claims he had consensual sex with the two alleged victims in an empty house in Craven Street, Accrington.

Knight denies luring the girls to the house so that a gang of men could rape them.

The two other defendants, Butt and Shahid Hussain, deny ever meeting the girls.

The jury have heard the prosecution case that the defendants took it turns to abuse two 16-year-old girls in a dark and empty house.

The girls were allegedly plied with drink and drugs and subjected the girl to a terrifying midnight ordeal.

During cross-examination, Ms Daley showed the girl footage of her police interview, during which she told the officer that she had given oral sex ‘lots of times before’.

She asked: “Is the way your life was in 2009 something you were embarrassed about, that you got into cars with men you didn’t know?”

The girl replied: “I’m not embarrassed but it was an experience in my life and that’s made me think differently now.”

The alleged victim then became visibly distressed and court was finished for the day.

The jury was told that Knight prevented the second girl going to her screaming friend's help as she was being raped by Shahid Hussain and told her the girl was ‘chilling with my boys’.

Knight was alleged to have threatened to ‘bang’ the second girl in the back alley when she refused to perform sex acts on any of the men and had kicked her out of the house.

Knight, who was later to tell police she was Amjad Hussain's girlfriend, said she ‘couldn't be bothered’ listening to the girl's distress.

She denied making threats.

The court heard that Knight, then 17, had invited the girls out for the evening on December 5, 2009.

She received a call and spoke on her mobile phone, saying she ‘had them’.

The trial is due to last for three weeks.

(Proceeding)

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