THE young woman at the heart of the Bradford rape and sexual exploitation trial was in it for the money, the barrister for one of the defendants has alleged.

Graeme Wilson told Bradford Crown Court the complainant said she wanted to bring to public attention child sexual exploitation in the city.

But Mr Wilson said in his closing speech to the jury: “She will do and say anything to get the money, even if it means exaggerating and inventing, and accusing entirely innocent people.”

Mr Wilson represents Kieran Harris, 28, of Dewsbury, who denies two counts of rape, one after allegedly spiking the complainant’s drink and another when he is accused of swapping places with co-defendant, Fahim Iqbal, who was having sex with the teenager.

Iqbal, 28, of no fixed abode, denies a charge of aiding and abetting rape.

Mr Wilson said the girl had mistakenly identified Harris, who denies raping her or having any sexual contact with her.

The jury heard she had told “calculated and manipulative lies.”

“Her accounts have snowballed: gone from nothing to some little accusation to more and more and more,” Mr Wilson said. He alleged she read about large compensation payments the “Rotherham girls” were expecting to receive, and that the amount of money was linked to the number of convictions.

Mr Wilson said Harris had been unfailingly courteous and respectful in the face of the “graphic and highly emotive accusations” detailed in court.

His mother and his partner had attended the trial almost every day because they believed in him.

Andrew Dallas, barrister for Fahim Iqbal, said the teenager was 17 and his client was 19 when they had a fully consensual sexual relationship.

Iqbal’s case was nothing to do with grooming. He faced a single accusation that he deliberately swapped places with Harris when he was having sex with the girl during a party night at her home about nine years ago.

Mr Dallas said that Iqbal did not know what was going on if Harris, or another man, took his place.

“He was not in the room at the time, let alone watching or actually assisting,” Mr Dallas said.

Afterwards, Iqbal stayed the night with the girl and they began a sexual relationship.

“Why hang about if he had been involved in such trickery?” Mr Dallas asked.

He said Iqbal was the only defendant whose sexual activity with the complainant was not alleged to be unlawful.

No one passed her on to him and he is not accused of giving her drugs or spiking her drink.

He was wrongly accused of playing a secondary role in someone else’s rape.

Rodney Ferm, for Mohammed Usman, said he met the teenager when she was 18. She wasn’t in a children’s home or under social services supervision. She was living independently in her own accommodation and he believed her to be about 20.

Usman, 31, of Bradford, is accused of forcibly raping the young woman twice in her home. He had always denied the accusations and he stood by the account he gave when he answered all the police’s questions.

Mr Ferm said the complainant had told “provable lies.”

Usman said he knew the girl and had been to her house but that they had no sexual contact.

He did not supply her with drugs and he refused to provide her with cocaine when she asked for it.

The trial judge, the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, has begun to sum up the case to jury.

The panel will retire to begin considering their verdicts this week.

Also on trial are:

Basharat Khaliq, 38, of Bradford, who denies five counts of rape and one of assault by penetration.

Saeed Akhtar, 55, of Bradford, who denies two counts of causing/inciting child prostitution and one of rape.

Yasar Majid, 37, of Milton Keynes, who denies one count of rape.

Naveed Akhtar, 43, of Bradford, who denies three counts of rape.

Parvaze Ahmed, 36, of Bradford, who denies three counts of rape.

Izar Hussain, 32, of Bradford, who denies three counts of rape and one of attempted rape.

Zeeshan Ali, 32, of Bradford, who denies a charge of sexual assault. The trial continues.