Five Shropshire men have been charged in connection with a child sex ring allegedly involving nine teenage girls, it was revealed this afternoon.

The men are alleged to have been part of a gang who groomed girls aged between 13 and 15 for sex with other men.

Three of the men appeared before magistrates in Telford this afternoon to face the allegations.

Mohammed Ali Sultan, 23, from Victoria Avenue, in Wellington, Mohammed Younis, 57, and Abdul Rous, 33, both of Kingsland, Arleston, Wellington, are all charged with conspiring with others to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity between January 1, 2008, and December 7, 2009, in Shrewsbury or elsewhere in the country.

Sultan is also charged with intentionally arranging and facilitating travel for a person carrying out a relevant offence in Telford or elsewhere in the country.

No pleas were given during today’s hearing which lasted for around two hours.

Packed

Applications were made for bail on behalf of all three men but magistrates remanded them in custody.

They will next appear at Shrewsbury Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on December 21.

The public gallery at the court was packed for the hearing.

Two further men were due to appear before the court later this afternoon to face further charges.

They are both charged with traffiking persons within the UK for sexual exploitation, conspiring with a female of 13 years or over to engage in sexual activity, supplying a Class A drug, and supplying a Class B drug.

Today’s developments follow an ongoing investigation by police in Telford along with a number of other agencies including the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre.

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Edwards said: “The investigation is one that we have been working on for some time in conjunction with our partners at Telford & Wrekin Council, the local Primary Care Trust, the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre and SOCA’s Vulnerable Persons Team.

“We are also liaising with our colleagues from West Midlands Police and Staffordshire Police.”