Details of case in which group deny abusing girls for several years restricted amid dispute with media over transparency
Six men have gone on trial at Bristol crown court accused of grooming and sexually assaulting vulnerable teenage girls in the city.
They were allegedly part of a large group of men who abused girls over several years. All six men deny the charges against them, which involved “multiple complainants”.
The trial is expected to last 12 weeks but reporting restrictions mean full details, including the defendant’s names, cannot be revealed.
After a challenge to the restrictions by media organisations including the Guardian, Judge Macmillan, who is overseeing the trial, allowed some information about the case and the nature of the charges to be reported, acknowledging there was a public concern about “grooming gangs”.
