A 41-year-old married man standing trial for the alleged rape and exploitation of a 16-year-old runaway girl has told a court he believed it was "obvious" she was interested in him, jurors heard.
Alleged Exploitation in Birmingham
Arqash Zaffar, also known as 'Mikey', is on trial at Birmingham Crown Court alongside three other men who all deny multiple offences. The court heard allegations that between July and August 2019, Zaffar repeatedly raped the teenager, arranged for her to be exploited, and caused her to be sexually abused by others in a hotel room full of men.
Giving evidence on Friday, November 21, Zaffar confirmed he was married but separated at the time of the alleged incidents. He stated he first encountered the girl, who he claimed told him she was 19, while driving his BMW with co-defendant Mohammed Nadim on Alum Rock Road, Birmingham, on July 20, 2019.
'Flirty Exchange' and Hotel Room Allegations
"We had eye contact and she smiled at me," Zaffar told the jury. "I was smiling back at her. We had kind of a little flirty exchange I would say. Just body language, just the fact we had eye contact and the smiles exchanged. It was kind of obvious she was interested, as was I."
Zaffar recalled asking if she "wants to come and chill" and said she agreed, getting into the back of his car. After driving around for about an hour, he claimed the girl asked for both their mobile numbers.
He told the court he dropped Nadim home in Walsall and then asked the girl if she needed a lift back to Birmingham, but she allegedly stated she wanted to stay out with him. Zaffar claimed the conversation became "more flirtatious" and he recalled her "bragging about how good she was at performing oral" sex.
Zaffar stated he pulled his car over and the girl performed oral sex on him, which he claimed was consensual. He said he then dropped her near the Bullring in Birmingham, but received a call from her 10 to 15 minutes later asking to be picked up again because she was homeless.
Journey to Manchester and Multiple Defendants
Zaffar claimed he felt sorry for her after she showed him images of bruising on her face which she said were from her violent brother. After picking her up again, he collected his friend and co-defendant Shahban Arif between 1am and 2am.
The court heard that Arif bought vodka and cocaine, though Zaffar claimed he did not consume any himself. The group then decided to drive to Manchester to see mutual friend and co-defendant Shiraz Nassar, nicknamed 'Soldier'.
Zaffar insisted the girl was "part of the discussion" to go to Manchester and seemed "excited about the idea". He told the court: "I already promised now I would essentially pay for a hotel if she had got nowhere to stay that night. I didn't feel comfortable leaving her on the street."
Arqash Zaffar from Walsall denies five counts of rape, four counts of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent and one count of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation.
Mohammed Nadim, aged 44 from Walsall, denies one offence of sexual assault, while Shahban Arif, 42 from Walsall, denies the single exploitation charge. Shiraz Nassar, aged 40 from Denton in Manchester, has pleaded not guilty to a count of rape.
The trial continues at Birmingham Crown Court.
