SEVEN young men groomed and sexually exploited eight teenage girls in Banbury, a jury in Oxford Crown Court has been told.

On the first day of their trial today, prosecution barrister Stuart Trimmer QC said the defendants identified their targets by organising parties for under 18s.

He said the group was known as “BB or B2” and they subjected their victims to a “cycle” of abuse, which in some cases culminated in “rape and even gang rape”.

The defendants are Ahmed Hassan-Sule, 21, of Glyndebourne Gardens; Said Saleh, 20, of Orchard Way; Mohamed Saleh, 21, of Orchard Way; Takudzwa Hova, 21, of Broughton Road; Kagiso Manase, 26, of Warwick Road; and Alexandru Nae, 19, of Broome Way.

They were charged alongside a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The defendants deny a total of 26 charges, including 19 counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, three counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault.

All the offences are alleged to have taken place between 2011 and 2013.

Opening the case today Mr Trimmer said: “This case concerns the sexual exploitation of a number of vulnerable girls aged between 13 and 16 by a group of males, predominantly aged between 18 and 25-years-old.

“The defendants appear to have identified vulnerable underage girls through the group organising parties for under 18s in Banbury, which they called ‘Fiddy Events’.

“This group were known as BB or B2, and they used social media such as Facebook or Whatsapp to target girls and subject them to a grooming process.

“The girls where driven to locations in and around Banbury and into King’s Sutton, where they were subjected to serious sexual offences.

“The offences took place in the defendant’s vehicles, their home addresses and also in parks and woods around Banbury.

“The girls were sometimes willing participants, sometimes flattered and pleased by the attention of the group.

“They were young and emotionally immature, with some looking for friendship.

“Sadly for them they were identified by these defendants and were used by them.

“And once they were into the cycle of repeated abuse they had no realistic means of extracting themselves.

“In general, the defendants befriended their victims, they established some sexual relationship, before proceeding to use the girls to have sex with others within their group.

“The evidence establishes a variety of tactics, such as evoking guilt and sometimes using threats or violence.”

All the defendants are in custody, except the 17-year-old.

The trial continues.

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