A POLICE officer and 15 other men have been charged in connection with an investigation into historic child sexual exploitation.

The allegations against the 16 defendants are from 2006 to 2009, in Halifax.

They relate to three females, who were aged between 13 and 16 at the time of the alleged offences.

The charges are varied and include sexual offences and drug offences.

One of those charged was a serving West Yorkshire Police constable at the time of an alleged offence in 2009.

Amjad Ditta, also known as Amjad Hussain, 35, was based in the force's Protective Services Operations. He has also carried out work in Bradford in recent years.

He is now suspended from duty.

Those charged will appear Bradford Magistrates' Court on January 6, 2020.

The full charges are as follows:

  • Vaqaas Abbas, 30, of Halifax, charged with rape (x3) and supply of a class C drug (x3).
  • Nadeem Adalat, 34, of Halifax, charged with rape (x4) and supply of a class C drug (x4).
  • Sajid Adalat, 43, of Halifax, charged with rape.
  • Vaseem Adalat, 33, of Halifax, charged with rape (x2), trafficking, and supply of a class C drug.
  • Amjad Ditta, also known as (aka) Amjad Hussain, 35, a police constable based within West Yorkshire Police’s Protective Services Operations, charged with sexual touching.
  • Christopher Eastwood, 45, of Halifax, charged with rape (x2) and supply of a class C drug (x2).
  • Metab Islam, 46, of Halifax, charged with rape (x6), supply of a class C drug (x6), sexual assault (x2) and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
  • Mohammed Rizwan Iqbal, 34, of Halifax, charged with rape.
  • Ishtiaq Latif, 32, of Halifax, charged with sexual activity with a child.
  • Asad Mahmood, 33, of Halifax, charged with rape (x2) and trafficking.
  • Arfan Mir, aka Khalifa Mughal, 36, of Halifax, charged with rape (x6), supply of a class C drug (x3), supply of a class A drug and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
  • Younis Mohammed, aka Younis Khan, 34, of Halifax, charged with rape and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
  • Nadeem Nassir, 39, of Halifax, charged with rape, supply of a class C drug and making threats to kill.
  • Shahzad Nawaz, 40, of Halifax, charged with rape, supply of a class C drug and making threats to kill.
  • Shazad Nazir, 44, of Halifax, charged with rape (x2) and supply of a class C drug (x2).
  • Sohail Zafar, 36, of Halifax, charged with rape and supplying a class C drug.

West Yorkshire Police has reminded the public of their responsibility around cases such as this.

A police spokesperson said: "The public is asked to refrain from speculating on social media as it may impact future criminal proceedings.

"The public is also reminded that victims of sexual offences are entitled to lifelong anonymity and so should avoid speculation on the victims’ identities."