POLICE have held back a protester outside Bradford Crown Court as defendants accused of a string of child sex offences make their first appearance there.

Fourteen men and a 17-year-old boy have been charged after a major police investigation in Keighley.

This morning they are due to appear at Crown Court for the first time.

Thirteen have been charged with rape, while a 62-year-old man is accused of sexual activity with a child.

Police say all but one of the charges relate to alleged offences against a single girl, aged under 16, between 2011 and 2012. The other relates to a second victim, who was also under 16 at the time of the alleged offence, in 2009.

The accused, with the exception of one, are all from Keighley.

Khalid Raja Mahmood, 34, faces five counts of rape.

Tauqeer Hussain, 22, and Yasser Kabir, 24, are each charged with four counts of rape.

Nasir Khan, 23, is charged with three rape offences.

Sufyan Ziarab, 22; Bilal Ziarab, 20, of Bradford; Israr Ali, 19; Zain Ali, 20; Faisal Khan, 26; Saqib Younis, 28, and Hussain Sardar, 18, each face two counts of rape.

Rohail Iqbal, 21, and Rohail Hussain, 18, face one charge of rape. And Mohamed Akram, 62, is charged with sexual activity with a child under 16.

The teenager faces one allegation of rape.

This morning the defendants were shouted at as they arrived at court, by up to ten people, including one woman who was held back by police officers.