Two men who are reportedly Afghan asylum seekers have denied charges relating to the alleged abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton.
Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, and Mohammad Kabir, also aged 23, were asked to enter their pleas to allegations about the sexual assault of the child in the Warwickshire town on July 22.
Both defendants sat side by side in the dock wearing grey tracksuits at Warwick Crown Court on Thursday.
Mulakhil, of no fixed abode, denied abducting a child, three counts of rape of a child under 13, and two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.
Kabir, also of no fixed abode, pleaded not guilty to attempting to take a child, aiding and abetting rape of a child under 13, and intentional strangulation of the girl.
Mulakhil was assisted in the dock by a Farsi interpreter while Kabir listened to the hearing through a Pashto interpreter.
Their immigration status was not discussed during the 18-minute long hearing.
Judge Kristina Montgomery KC remanded the pair into custody until November 21 when they will be expected to appear in court for a further hearing.
A trial date was set for January 26 next year and is expected to last five days.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and the youngest council leader in the country, 19-year-old George Finch, who is leader of Warwickshire County Council, claimed there had been a “cover-up” of details about the alleged rape.
Mr Farage also suggested that the immigration status of people charged with offences should be released by police forces.
In a statement, the Warwickshire force said that once someone is charged with an offence, it follows national guidance, which “does not include sharing ethnicity or immigration status”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called for more transparency from police, and has already asked the Law Commission to accelerate its review about what information can be released when there is a trial pending.
A protest took place outside Nuneaton’s Town Hall on August 9 in response to the allegations against the two men, when St George’s Cross flags and Union flags were held as protesters marched along the high street and chanted “Stop the boats” and “We want our country back”.
Stand Up to Racism counter-protesters, who held placards and a banner reading “stop the far right”, were significantly outnumbered outside the Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council offices.
