ELEVEN people are to stand trial at Bradford Crown Court accused of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by providing false or misleading information in response to Notices of Intended Prosecution.

The defendants were sent to the higher court by the city’s magistrates and pleaded not guilty to the alleged offence on Friday.

Their three-week trial was set to begin on April 15, 2024.

The men and women have addresses in Bradford, Leeds and Huddersfield.

Judge Jonathan Rose fixed a further case management hearing for March 1 next year.

All the defendants had their bail enlarged until the date of the trial.

They all deny conspiring to pervert the course of justice, between September, 2018, and May, 2020, by providing false information to the police to avoid prosecution; and that the statement was made in a declaration, namely a response to a Notice of Intended Prosecution, with intent to pervert the course of justice.

The defendants are: Mohammed Aftab, 50, of Cranbourne Road, Daisy Hill, Bradford; Zahra Aftab, 22, of Cranbourne Road; Ayman Ahmed, 22, of Fairfield Road, Manningham, Bradford; Wajida Nawaz, 44, of Cranbourne Road; Daniel Bessadi, 49, of Oak Drive, Whinmoor, Leeds; Shamiaz Khan, 30, Carrington Street, Bradford Moor, Bradford; Kamran Ahmed, 41, of Wellands Terrace, Bradford Moor; Ferdousi Begum, 44, of Carrington Street; Abdul Kalam, 41, of New Fields Walk, Wapping, Bradford; Aneem Sheraz, 24, of Cleveland Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield; and Abubakr Zayd, 23, of Rumbold Road, Edgerton.

All were present in court to deny the allegation except for Ferdousi Begum whose attendance was excused in advance of the hearing. Her barrister, Shila Whitehead, said her client denied any role in a conspiracy.