An underage girl was repeatedly sexually abused by ‘predatory paedophiles’ at Accrington Market Hall, a court heard.

Six men are standing trial at Burnley Crown Court accused of various sexual offences against the same victim dating back to the 1990s.

The court heard claims that some of the market stallholders would also bribe her with cash, cigarettes and free clothes and ply her with cannabis until she was ‘stoned’.

The defendants deny all the charges.

Paul Evans, prosecuting, told the court that the men were ‘predatory paedophiles’ and that the alleged offences started at the Accrington market back in the 1990s by stallholder Mr Abbas Khan.

The jury was told that Abbas Khan smoked cannabis with the alleged victim’ as ‘part of the grooming and softening up process’ and later sexually assaulted her.

The court heard that it ‘became more serious’ when his son-in-law Ijaz Khan got involved and that they allegedly ‘took it in turns to assault her’.

The prosecutor said after the abuse happened they would allow her to take free clothes off their stall to ‘keep her quiet’ and also gave her cigarettes and £20 in cash.

Ijaz Khan is accused of raping the girl before giving her a ‘further £20 and telling her ‘she had been good’.

Mr Evans claimed that later on Javid Raza - known as ‘Jaz’ - would on occasions place a black sheet between their stalls and would ask the girl to stand in front of him before he sexually assaulted her.

On other occasions he would also try to kiss her and sexually touch her, the jury was told.

When questioned by officers all the defendants denied the claims and said there was ‘no sexual contact at all between them’, the court heard.

Proceeding