In a concerning development, the trial of alleged Rochdale grooming gang members has collapsed after a judge was informed about a WhatsApp group involving jurors. The case, being heard at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, involved six men accused of rape and other sexual offences against two teenage girls between 2003 and 2006.
Proceedings were halted in December after jurors, who had been instructed not to conduct their own research or discuss the case outside the jury room, were found to have been messaging each other about a broadcast on grooming gangs. Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones agreed with defence barristers that this raised “real concerns” about the jury’s ability to follow legal directions.
The court heard that in one exchange, a member of the WhatsApp group warned that viewing the broadcast was contrary to the judge’s instructions, but another juror responded, “I’m going to watch it anyway,” followed by a smiley emoji. Another juror messaged that they too would watch the broadcast.
The matter came to light when another juror reported the WhatsApp group to court officials, prompting an investigation. The two jurors who said they would watch the broadcast were questioned but claimed they had not actually viewed it. However, defence barristers suggested the pair may not have been telling the truth, and the prosecution invited the judge to further question them.
Ultimately, Judge Corbett-Jones agreed with an application to discharge the jury, stating, “With considerable regret and disappointment, I have reached the conclusion that the multiplicity of problems which have now arisen and the uncertainty as regards these issues mean that whatever course of action I take, unanswered questions remain.”
The judge acknowledged that no course of action could resolve the “multi-layered difficulties” caused by the jurors’ actions. Reporting restrictions on the reasons for the jury’s discharge were lifted on Friday following an application from the Manchester Evening News.
A retrial is now set to take place in August. Tahir Rashid, 54, and Mohammed Saleem, 46, both from Rochdale; Iftaq Hussain, 45, of Shawforth; and Sucklane Shah, 46, of no fixed abode, all deny rape. Arshad Mohammed, 55, of Rochdale, denies rape and assault by penetration, while Amjad Mahmood, 53, also of Rochdale, denies rape, indecent assault, indecency with a child, and assault by penetration. Rashid has also pleaded not guilty to the rape of another young girl in the late 1980s.
