Three men charged with rape and other offences against two teenage girls in Rotherham will not be tried until the end of next year, a court has heard.
Basharat Dad, 40, Nasser Dad, 44, and Reza Tavakoli, 54, were arrested as part of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Operation Stovewood, which is investigating child sexual exploitation in the South Yorkshire town between 1997 and 2013.
The alleged offences happened in the Rotherham area between March 2004 and December 2009 and involved two girls, who were aged between 13 and 16 at the time, according to the NCA.
Basharat Dad, formerly of Rotherham, is charged with 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, is charged with two counts of rape, while Tavakoli, of Upperthorpe, Sheffield, is charged with rape and false imprisonment.
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The men were due to enter pleas at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday but the Dads, who are in custody, weren’t produced from prison.
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Judge Sarah Wright fixed a provisional trial date for 30 November 2026 after hearing no earlier date was available because of the current backlog of cases in crown courts.
But the judge said she would make further inquiries to see if the trial could be brought forward.
Tavakoli was granted bail when he appeared in court on Monday morning and all three are expected to appear again for a case management hearing on 24 March.
