I was set up over vice claims, says accused

A 24-year-old factory worker has claimed that he was set up over allegations that he was prostituting a Telford teeanger.

Ahdel Ali told a jury at Stafford Crown Court that there were people who wanted to 'screw over' him and his brother, Mubarek Ali.

Giving evidence yesterday Ali – who was known as Eddie – had been asked why the teenage girl had told police he had controlled her as a prostitute.

"There were other Asian lads who did not like me and my brother," he said.

"The girl used to hang around with them and they wanted to screw me and my brother over."

Ali, of Regent Street, Wellington, denies three charges of controlling the girl as a child prostitute and three offences of having underage sex with the alleged victim. The jury has heard the girl, who cannot be named, later withdrew her statement to police.

Ali denied he had put any pressure on the alleged victim and had not threatened her in any way and did not tell her to change her story.

He also denied having sex with her and getting her to perform a sex act on him the second time they met.

His counsel, Mr Tayyab Khan, asked Ali if he knew how old the girl was when he met her. "No. And when I met her she told me that she was aged 16," he said.

Earlier Ali said he had not prostituted the girl to restaurant workers and was only her friend and they cruised around in his car and smoked cannabis.

He also claimed he had contact with the girl's father and tried to help him locate his daughter when she went missing. He admitted he and the teenager had been involved in illegal scams to get money including 'a sham marriage' to take £5,000 from a Ghanaian man.

Ali also denies allegations of rape, eight other charges of sexual activity with a child, inciting child prostitution and meeting a child after grooming involving three other teenage girls.

Mubarek Ali, also of Regent Street, denies allegations of controlling child prostitution and trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The trial continues.