Three men deny raping teenage girls

Three men accused of rape, trafficking and exploitation following an investigation into the abuse of two teenage girls in Rotherham have denied all charges.

Basharat Dad, 40, Nasser Dad, 44, and Reza Tavakoli, 54, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday after being arrested as part of the National Crime Agency's (NCA) Operation Stovewood.

The NCA alleges the trio committed the offences between March 2004 and December 2009 against two victims who were aged between 13 and 16 at the time.

They will face trial in November 2026, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said.

Basharat Dad, formerly of Rotherham, pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of rape, four offences of trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation, and one offence of false imprisonment.

Nasser Dad, also formerly of Rotherham, pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape.

Mr Tavakoli, of Upperthorpe in Sheffield, pleaded not guilty to one charge of rape and one of false imprisonment.

Basharat Dad and Nasser Dad are in custody while Mr Tavakoli was bailed by Judge Richardson.

They will appear again for a case management hearing on 3 October.

Operation Stovewood was set up in the wake of the landmark Jay Report which found in 2014 that at least 1,400 girls were abused by gangs of men of mainly Pakistani heritage in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

The NCA has said Stovewood is the single largest law enforcement operation of its kind undertaken in the UK and has identified more than 1,100 children involved in the exploitation between 1997 and 2013 - almost all girls.

Previous estimates have put the cost of Operation Stovewood at around £90m.

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