BRITISH National Party and English Defence League supporters held a protest outside Burnley crown court on Friday.

More than 25 protesters gathered as Judge Beverley Lunt prepared to set a date for a child sex offence case.

Holding Union and St George’s flags and banners reading ‘protect hildren, fight grooming gangs’, protesters were monitored by around 20 police officers in and around the Hammerton Street court.

Members of the BNP played music and speeches for more than two hours in front of TV news cameras and newspaper photographers.

Burnley Council leader, Coun Charlie Briggs said later: “Protests like this cause upset for normal Burnley people going about their business. When I went in to the town yesterday, some residents told me they felt threatened.

“But I understand there was no trouble and the police did an excellent job.”

Inside the court a trial date of June 11, was set for six men charged with a range of child sex offences.

Mohammed Imran Amjad, 25, of Halifax Road, Brierfield pleaded not guilty to three charges of abducting a child, one count of rape, two counts of aiding and abetting rape, two counts of aiding and abetting sexual activity with a child and sexual activity with a child, one count of sexual assault, two charges of encouraging or assisting an offence and one count of witness intimidation.

Mohammed Zeeshan Amjad, 24, of Halifax Road, Brierfield pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one count of sexual activity with a child and Mohammed Suleman Farooq, 22, of Berry Street, Brierfield pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault, one count of sexual activity with a child and one count of witness intimidation.

Three other defendants did not enter pleas.

Shiraz Afzal, 25, of Mansfield Crescent, Brierfield is charged with one count of aiding and abetting a rape and one of sexual activity with a child.

Omar Mazafer, 21, of Halifax Road, Brierfield is accused of one count of aiding and one count of abetting a rape and aiding and abetting sexual activity with a child; Haroon Mahmood, 21, of John Street, Brierfield faces one count of rape and one count of sexual activity with a child.

Waqas Khalid, 18, of Halifax Road, Brierfield will face a separate trial for charges of witness intimidation at Burnley Crown Court on August 28.