Arqash Zaffar, 41, also known as “Mikey,” claimed he had a “flirty exchange” with the girl before she got into his car on Alum Rock Road, Birmingham, and that they spent the night together.
Giving evidence on Friday, November 21, Zaffar said he dropped her off after she performed oral sex but later picked her up because she was homeless and he felt sorry for her.
Zaffar is standing trial alongside three other men, all denying multiple sexual offences. It is alleged that between July and August 2019 he repeatedly raped the girl, arranged for her to be sexually exploited, and facilitated abuse by other men in a hotel room.
The court heard that Zaffar was married at the time but separated from his wife. He first encountered the girl, who claimed to be 19, while driving his BMW with co-defendant Mohammed Nadim, 44, also known as “Dimma,” on 20 July 2019.
Zaffar told the jury: “We had eye contact and she smiled at me. I was smiling back at her. We had kind of a little flirty exchange… it was kind of obvious she was interested, as was I.”
He described picking her up after she requested a lift and spending time driving around and talking. He claimed the girl gave him oral sex before he dropped her back in Birmingham, and later picked her up again after she said she was homeless and had been abused by her brother.
Zaffar said he did not consume alcohol or drugs, though co-defendant Shahban Arif, 42, brought vodka and cocaine. They later drove to Manchester to meet co-defendant Shiraz Nassar, 40, known as “Soldier.”
He told the court he promised to pay for a hotel for the girl but could not book one in the middle of the night, so they stayed out until morning. Zaffar said she appeared “excited about the idea” of travelling to Manchester and insisted she could have refused.
The trial continues today, Monday, November 24. Zaffar, from Walsall, denies five counts of rape, four counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and one count of arranging or facilitating travel with a view to exploitation.
Co-defendants Nadim, Arif, and Nassar also deny various sexual offences, including rape and sexual assault.
