Nine men, ranging in age from 54 to 76, have appeared at Newport Magistrates Court to face 41 historical sexual offence charges. These allegations involve eight victims who were children during the period of abuse, which took place in south Wales between 1985 and 1996. The investigation, labeled Operation Oak, was launched by Gwent Police after multiple women reported their experiences.
The defendants were arrested earlier in July across various locations, including Newport, Swansea, London, Birmingham, Lancashire, Edinburgh, and Scotland. During their initial court appearance on Friday, the men spoke only to confirm their personal details. No pleas were entered, and one defendant attended via video-link. Given the severity of the allegations, which include multiple counts of rape, the cases are being transferred to Cardiff Crown Court, where the men are scheduled to appear on 21 August. All defendants were granted bail.
The individuals charged include Shafaq Mohammed, Syed Mohammad Ashan Taqvi, Mohammed Sheikh Abdul Hannan, Kevin Lawrence, Sheikh Mohammed Tahir Ullah, Aminur Rahman Chowdhury, Shakeel Babur, Murad Ali, and Mohammed Ramzan. Gwent Police have urged the public to avoid social media commentary that might impact the legal proceedings and have reiterated their commitment to investigating reports of child abuse.
