A POLICE officer and 15 other men have appeared at Bradford and KeighleyMagistrates’ Court today charged with historic sex offences.

The allegations against the 16 defendants date back to between 2006 and 2009.

The defendants were all given conditional bail until their next appearance at Bradford Crown Court on January 20.

The investigation relates to two girls aged 13 to 16 at the time and include counts of rape, sexual assault, supplying cocaine and cannabis and making a threat to kill.

One of those in court was a serving West Yorkshire Police constable, charged with sexual assault on a woman. Amjad Ditta, 35, was based in the force's Protective Services Operations. He has also carried out work in Bradford in recent years.

Ditta, who wore a black suit and tie, spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth during the hearing, and gave his surname as Hussain.

He is now suspended from duty.

District Judge Charlotte Holland said that the alleged offences were "too serious" to be dealt with by the magistrates' court and that it was necessary for them to be heard at crown court instead.

The defendants who appeared were:

Mohammed Vaqaas Abbas, 30, charged with three offences of raping a girl aged 13, 14 and 15 and three offences of supplying cannabis.

Nadeem Adalat, 34, charged with four offences of raping a girl aged 13, 14 and 15 and four offences of supplying cannabis.

Sajid Adalat, 43, charged with one count of raping a girl.

Waseem Adalat, charged with two counts of raping a girl aged 13 to 15, supplying cannabis and trafficking.

Amjad Ditta, 35, a police constable based with West Yorkshire Police’s Protective Services Operations, charged with one count of sexual assault on a woman at The Withens, Halifax.

Christopher Eastwood, 45, charged with two offences of raping a girl aged 13 to 15 and two counts of supplying cannabis.

Mohammed Rizwan Iqbal, 34, charged with one count of raping a girl aged 13 to 15.

Mahtab Islam, 46, charged with five offences of raping a girl aged 13 to 15, two charges of sexual assault, three charges of supplying cocaine, three counts of supplying cannabis and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Ishtiaq Latif, 32, charged with one offence of sexual activity with a child aged 13 to15.

Asad Mahmood, 33, charged with two counts of rape and one offence of trafficking.

Khalifa Mughal, 36, charged with six counts of raping a girl aged 13, 14 and 15, one offence of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, one charge of supplying cannabis, and three allegations of supplying cocaine.

Nadeem Nassir, 39, charged with two counts of raping a girl aged 13 to 15, two charges of supplying cannabis and making a threat to kill.

Shazad Nazir, 44, charged with two offences of raping a girl aged 13 to 15 and two charges of supplying cannabis.

Shahzad Nowaz, 40, charged with one offence of rape, and a single charge each of supplying cannabis and making a threat to kill.

Sohail Zafar, 36, charged with one offence of rape and a single charge of supplying cannabis.

Younis Mohammed, aka Younis Khan, 34, charged with rape and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.