THREE brothers have gone on trial accused of historic sex offences involving the exploitation of underage girls – including in a Barrow takeaway.  

The oldest, 47-year-old Amran Miah, denies 14 sexual offences, two charges of intimidation and one of kidnap. Joman Miah, 37, denies 34 sexual offences and Alman Miah, 46, denies two child sex offences.

Together they are facing 53 charges.

The offences are alleged to have taken place in Barrow and also in Leeds over a fourteen-year period.

A jury heard that Joman, known by the name ‘Saj’, groomed and sexually assaulted a girl while he was working in a takeaway owned by his family called Iesha’s.

Opening the case at Preston Crown Court, prosecutor Tim Evans told jurors that Joman picked up the girl from school each day while she was still in her uniform. He would then take her to Iesha’s where they would have sex either on the sofa or in a bed on an almost daily basis, Mr Evans told jurors.

Mr Evans explained: “A key part of the ‘relationship’ was that Saj / Joman was treating (her) to pretty much whatever she wanted: - buying her presents, topping up her phone as well as buying her friends food.

“He would also buy her cigarettes, beer and give her £40 in cash a month which she would tell her mum that it was her wages for working at the takeaway.

“These offences are not charged as rape because she naively believed she was in some sort of relationship with Joman and consented to the sexual intercourse that was occurring. In such circumstances the appropriate charge is sexual activity with a child rather than rape."

The court heard how on one occasion Joman allegedly said after an altercation at the takeaway that 'in his religion a girl could marry an adult male from the age of nine.'

Around five months into their relationship Mr Evans said Joman took the girl to a Barrow hotel on eight different occasions to have sex.

Joman would cover his tracks and instruct the child not to arrive at the hotel until after 10:30pm because that would be when there would be no-one on reception, Mr Evans explained. The girl would lie to her mum and explain she was staying overnight at a female friend's house, he said.

Mr Evans told the court how a witness to their relationship described the girl 'as being head over heels in love with Saj' while another said Joman lavished her with gifts and money.

The jury heard how Joman’s older brother Alman had sex with a different girl when she was 15 where it is alleged they would have intercourse together in one of the bedrooms above the takeaway.

It is also alleged that Amran raped the girl.

Mr Evans told the jury the alleged victim ‘froze’ when he pulled her shorts down.

Mr Evans said: “It was painful and she was in shock – not believing what was happening to her.  During the rape he was trying to kiss her and while he was over her she could feel his sweat dripping on her.

“She was telling him to stop and get off, he was replying that she should keep quiet and that nobody needed to know. She felt she could not escape and was generally scared of him.”

She spoke with Cumbria police in 2009 about the situation and once Amran found out, he allegedly threatened to hurt her family if she spoke out again, Mr Evans said.

Shortly afterwards she was bundled into a car and told by Amran ‘you have been warned, once you screw one (of us) over, you screw us all', the jurors heard.

Joman and Amran are also accused of indecently assaulting two young girls in Leeds.

The trial continues on Monday.