A man from Walsall has denied sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl who had run away from home, telling a court that his contact with her was related to a potential job opportunity.
The Alleged Incident
Mohammed Nadim, 44, is accused of groping the teenager's thigh in the back of a BMW on July 20, 2019. The car belonged to his friend, Arqash Zaffar. The prosecution's case, heard at Birmingham Crown Court, alleges that after picking up the girl on Alum Rock Road in Birmingham, the two men drove her to a dead end.
It is claimed that they exposed themselves and asked her to kiss them. The prosecution further states that the girl was then driven to a car park, where Nadim is alleged to have sexually assaulted her in the back seat before Zaffar raped her.
The Defendant's Account
Giving evidence on Tuesday, November 25, Nadim presented a different story. He stated that he and Zaffar had travelled to Birmingham from Walsall for food. He told the jury that the girl, who he believed was 20 years old, "jumped in the car" after Zaffar invited her to "come and chill".
Nadim firmly denied the prosecution's sequence of events. He testified that they did not stop at a dead end or a car park. Instead, he claimed they drove around, stopped at a shop for soft drinks, and then Zaffar drove him back to Walsall.
Explaining the Phone Contact
When questioned about two zero-second calls made from the girl's phone to his number that evening, Nadim offered an explanation centred on employment. He told the court he worked in a commission-based recruitment role at the time.
Nadim claimed he offered to help the girl find work, which would have earned him commission. "She was very keen on getting employed and getting a job," he stated, explaining that this was why she had taken his number and called him.
The trial also involves co-defendants Shahban Arif and Shiraz Nassar, who face separate, more serious charges related to the same girl later that night, including multiple counts of rape. All four men have entered not guilty pleas. The trial at Birmingham Crown Court continues.
