Six face court over 'exploitation'

Six men charged in connection with an investigation into child exploitation will appear in court today.

A total of 13 suspects were arrested in Oxford on Thursday by police investigating claims 24 vulnerable girls under 16 were groomed for rape.

Six were charged with offences including rape, conspiring to rape a child, arranging child prostitution and trafficking.

Thames Valley Police said the men, aged between 26 and 37, face 33 counts between them.

Seven men have been released on police bail until next month.

Officers started their investigation after a number of girls were reported missing.

Detectives believe runaways as young as 11 may have been preyed upon for Britain's sex trade.

More than 100 officers took part in raids as the force executed 14 warrants across the city as part of an operation named Bullfinch.

Police chiefs posted a video on YouTube to reassure community members and urge any potential victims to come forward.

Patrols of officers took to the streets of the university city to hand out public awareness leaflets.

These are the details of the men charged:

* A 26-year-old man has been charged with 10 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child;

* A 30-year-old man was charged with one count of conspiring to rape a child, one count of arranging prostitution of a child, and one count of trafficking;

* A 31-year-old man has been charged with three counts of rape, one count of conspiring to rape a child, three counts of arranging the prostitution of a child, one count of making a threat to kill and one count of trafficking;

* A 37-year-old man was charged with two counts of conspiracy to rape a child and one count of supplying a class A controlled drug to a child;

* A 32-year-old man has been charged with one count of rape;

* A 26-year-old man has been charged with four counts of rape, two counts of arranging the prostitution of a child and one count of making a threat to kill.

PA