Twenty-seven men have been charged with dozens of historic sexual offences against girls with one man alone charged with 21 offences of rape.

Almost all of them are from the Huddersfield area.

West Yorkshire Police say the men face numerous offences including rape, trafficking with intent to engage in sexual exploitation, sexual activity with a child, child neglect, child abduction, supply of Class A drugs and possession and making of indecent images of children.

The allegations against the defendants are historic sexual offences, having occurred between 2004 and 2011 and relate to 18 women.

The offences were committed against them as children in the Huddersfield area and are alleged to have taken place while the women were aged between 11 and 17.

Two women have also been charged with child neglect.

The defendants have been released on police bail and they will appear at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, April 12.

In July last year the Examiner exclusively revealed that 120 girls had been interviewed since 2014 in an operation named Operation Tendersea.

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The arrests were carried out following an investigation which began in late 2013 when a young woman accompanied by her mother went to a police station and said she had been the victim of sexual abuse.

The defendants are:

Amere Singh Dhaliwal , 34, of Huddersfield. He is charged with rape (x21), supply of Class A drugs (x4), supply of Class B drugs, supply of controlled substances with intention to engage in sexual activity, trafficking female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation (x14), Incite a child to engage in sexual activity (x5), sexual assault by penetration, sexual touching (x3), possession of indecent images of a child (x3), racially aggravated assault and incite a child into prostitution.

Irfan Ahmed, 32, of Huddersfield. He is charged with trafficking a female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation (x6), sexual touching, taking indecent images of a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Asif Bashir, 32, of Huddersfield. He is charged with rape (x4) and attempted rape.

Zahid Hassan , 28, of Huddersfield. He charged with trafficking a child within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation (x5), rape (x8), racially aggravated assault, supply of Class A drugs (x2), inciting a child into sexual activity, child abduction (x2) and attempted rape.

Manzoor Hassan , 37, of Huddersfield. He is charged with supply of noxious substance with intent to injure, annoy or aggrieve female, supply of Class A drugs (x2) and incite a child into prostitution.

Mohammed Kammer, 32, of Huddersfield. He is charged with two counts of rape.

Mohammed Rizwan Aslam , 29, of Huddersfield. He is charged with two counts of rape.

Abdul Rehman Hanif , 29, of Huddersfield. He is charged with rape, supply of Class A drugs, supply of Class B drugs (x2), supply of controlled substance with intent to engage in sexual activity, sexual touching and trafficking a female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation.

Mohammed Asaf Akram , 31, of Huddersfield. He is charged with rape (x7), trafficking a female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation (x3), child abduction, supply of Class B drugs, sexual touching and threats to kill.

Raj Singh Barsran , 33, of Huddersfield. He is charged with sexual touching (x2) and rape.

Mansoor Akhtar , 25, of Huddersfield. He is charged with rape, attempted rape and trafficking a female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation (x2).

Niaz Ahmed , 53, of Huddersfield. He is charged with inciting a child into sexual activity and sexual touching (x2).

Mohammad Nahman , 31, of Huddersfield. He is charged with trafficking a female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation, sexual touching, rape (x2).

Hamzha Ali Saleem, 37, of Manchester. He is charged with trafficking female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation (x3).

Waqas Mahmood , 36, of Huddersfield. He is charged with 3 counts of rape.

Naveeda Habib , 38, of Huddersfield. She is charged with one count of child neglect.

Shahnaz Akhtar Malik , 55, of Huddersfield. She is charged with one count of child neglect.

Nasarat Hussain , 28, of Huddersfield. He is charged with rape (x3), attempted rape and inciting a female to engage in sexual activity.

Sajid Hussain , 32, of Huddersfield. He is charged with facilitating the commission of sexual activity on a child, rape (x3) and inciting a child into sexual activity.

Zulwarnain Dogar , 29, of Huddersfield. He is charged with sexual touching and trafficking a female within UK with a view to her sexual exploitation.

Mohammad Ifraz , 28, of Huddersfield. He is charged with trafficking a female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation (x3), rape, false imprisonment, child abduction, taking indecent images of a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Faisal Nadeem , 30, of Huddersfield. He is charged with supply of Class A drugs, rape and possession of extreme pornography

Mohammad Azeem, 31, of Bradford. He is charged with three counts of rape.

Mohammad Imran Ibrar , 32, of Huddersfield. He is charged with trafficking a female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation, facilitating the commission of sexual activity on a child, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, supply of Class B drugs.

Everton La Bastide , 50, of Huddersfield. He is charged with two counts of sexual touching.

Mohammed Saqib Raheel , 30, of Dudley. He is charged with child abduction and trafficking a female within the UK with a view to her sexual exploitation.

Zubair Ahmed , 30, of Huddersfield. He is charged with rape and possession of extreme pornography.

Usman Khalid , 29, of Huddersfield. He is charged with sexual assault by penetration, child abduction and sexual touching.

Aleem Javaid , 27, of Huddersfield. He is charged with rape and supply of Class B drugs.