Peterborough: Child Sex Abuse Case Starts

4 November 2013, 16:21 | Updated: 4 November 2013, 16:23

Four men and four teenage boys have gone on trial over child sex allegations involving girls in Peterborough.

The gang, who are from Czech, Slovak and Kurdish backgrounds, are accused of abusing five girls aged between 12 and 13.

Two of the complainants, who all lived in Peterborough, are of Czech/Slovak origin, while the other three girls are English.

The case came to light when victim A was taken into care in December last year and began to tell her social worker what had been happening to her. 

Zdeno Mirga, 18, his brother Dusan, 20, Hassan Abdulla, 32, David Ziga, 19, two 17-year-old boys and two 14-year-old boys variously face 57 counts of abuse. 

The charges include rape and child prostitution.

Prosecutor Angela Rafferty, opening the trial at the Old Bailey, said: "Between April 2012 and December of the same year in Peterborough these defendants engaged in sexual abuse of teenage girls. 

Some of them were more heavily involved than others.

Some organised and controlled the sexual activity, some took a spur of the moment decision to become involved.''

The trial, at the Old Bailey in London, is expected to last up to eight weeks.