A BARRISTER told a jury her client had made a mistake by "hanging around" with a man convicted of a conspiracy to rape a teenage girl.

Yesterday Isabella Foreshall QC delivered her closing speech in the trial of her client Tilal Mahdi, who denies sexually exploiting underage girls.

The 36-year-old is accused of arranging for two of the three complainants in the case to have sex with his friends, as well as trafficking one girl around the country.

Mahdi, of Friars Street, Hereford, denies a conspiracy to rape one girl between July 17, 2005, and July 16, 2008, when she was aged between 13 and 15.

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He was charged with this offence alongside another man, Mohammed Karrar, who was convicted last year.

But giving evidence this week Mahdi said he mainly just bought cannabis off his co-defendant and thought the girl he was abusing was his girlfriend.

Miss Foreshall told the jury yesterday: "Mahdi has made a lot of extremely poor choices, one of which was to associate with Mohammed Karrar when he was undoubtedly exploiting (the complainant).

"It was his folly to be hanging around with a man whose girlfriend was visibly under age.

"He says 'she wasn't my girlfriend' but you might think a better man, a stronger man, a man with less interest in drugs, might have behaved differently."

But she suggested the whole case was built on "murky ground" and that the jury should find Mahdi not guilty after examining all the evidence.

Mahdi also denies conspiracy to rape a girl under 16, conspiracy to indecently assault a girl under 16, another serious sexual offence, trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation, arranging or facilitating child prostitution and rape.

The trial continues.


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