Telford brothers 'forced girls into prostitution'

Four teenage girls were sexually abused and forced into prostitution by two Shropshire brothers, a court has heard. The jury was told the youngest girl, 13, was raped, and another was repeatedly sold as a prostitute, sometimes to four men at a time.

Ahdel Ali, 24, and Mubarek Ali, 29, both of Regent Street, Wellington deny a total of 26 charges.

The offences are alleged to have taken place from March 2008 to December 2009.

Opening the case for the prosecution at Stafford Crown Court, Deborah Gould said the four alleged victims, all from the Telford area, suffered from "an extraordinary lack of self-esteem". (...)