Pressure on girl over statement, jury told

An alleged victim of sexual abuse and child prostitution said to involve two Wellington brothers has told a jury she was put under pressure to retract her police statements.

The young woman, now aged 19, admitted that she told police that she had 'told lies' about Ahdel and Mubarek Ali. The teenager was cross-examined at Stafford Crown Court yesterday by Mr Tayyab Khan, for Ahdel Ali.

The woman said she went to police in September, 2010, and claimed she'd not told the truth.

But the witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has claimed that she was put under pressure by Mubarek Ali to withdraw her allegations against him and his brother.

Questioned by Mr Khan she told the jury that she had not fabricated evidence against his client.

"You made false allegations against a man known as Ali the Joker?" he said.

"No." said the witness.

"Ali did not have sexual activity with you?" said Mr Khan.

"Yes, he did."

"Even if he did, you misled him about your age?"

"No," she said.

The court has heard that in December, 2009, after the defendants were arrested, the teenager did not tell police that she had been pimped out by the two men.

But in subsequent interviews in May, 2010, she told officers 24-year-old Ahdel Ali, who she knew as Eddie, had sex with her when she was 15 and later sold her as a prostitute. She had also alleged that Mubarek Ali, 29, who she knew as Max, was involved in selling her as child prostitute to workers at several fast-food restaurants in the Telford area.

The jury heard yesterday her allegations were retracted a few months later, but in June last year she was interviewed again when she told officers that her original allegations against Max and Eddie were true.

The defendants, both of Regent Street, Wellington, deny a total of 26 offences involving the sexual exploi-tation of teenage girls.

The trial continues.