A MAN accused of sexually exploiting “vulnerable” teenage girls in Oxford after giving them drugs and alcohol has gone on trial.

Yesterday a jury was told that Tilal Mahdi “arranged” for the complainants to have sex with his friends and trafficked one under-age girl around the country for child prostitution.

The 36-year-old, of Friars Street, Hereford, denies committing a range of sexual offences against three girls.

In relation to one he is accused of conspiracy to rape a girl under 16, conspiracy to indecently assault a girl under 16, and another serious sexual offence, between June 5, 1996, and June 4, 1998.

He is charged with conspiracy to rape, trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation, arranging or facilitating child prostitution and rape in relation to a second girl, allegedly abused between July 17, 2005, and July 16, 2008.

And he is accused of raping a third girl on March 24, 2006.

Prosecutor Neil Moore told Judge Ian Pringle: “In this case you are going to hear from three young women who, the prosecution say, are unknown to each other, but all of whom have something in common.

“And that is the fact all of them were sexually abused by this defendant when they were teenagers.

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“The prosecution says the allegations of the first two young women, despite being separated by 10 years or so, are very similar indeed.

“Both were vulnerable girls who the prosecution say were taken advantage of by the defendant for his own sexual purposes.

“He showed them attention, which it seems no one else did, provided them with alcohol and drugs, made them feel special, they believed he cared for them.

“In fact he was grooming them for his own sexual purposes.

“He arranged for them to have sex with a number of other men over a period of time, which the prosecution say they did not in reality consent to.

“In the case of one complainant he also trafficked her to various places for the purposes of prostitution, as well as having sex with both of them himself.

“The prosecution say that it is inconceivable that three young women, three girls as they were, none of whom knew each other, would make sexual allegations against the same man of a similar nature if they were not telling the truth.”

The first complainant also gave evidence yesterday and described having sex with men she did not know at Mahdi’s request.

She said: “At that age it didn’t affect me, it wasn’t until I got older that I thought that it’s wrong.”

The trial continues.

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