THREE men took two runaway schoolgirls to a hotel and ‘cynically exploited’ them for sex, a jury was told.

The men approached the girls, aged 12 and 14, in Blackburn town centre late at night and persuaded them to go with them, the court heard.

At the Darwen Travelodge the girls, from Darwen, were plied with alcohol, Bob Elias, prosecuting, told the jury.

In the events that followed Nelson Caldeiro-Claudilo is alleged to have had sex with both the youngsters.

The 14-year-old girl also had sex with Farooq Ahmed, Mr Elias said.

Hardeep Singh is not accused of having sex with the girls, but is said to have watched the 14-year-old perform a sex act on Ahmed and made inappropriate comments.

Portuguese national Caldeiro-Claudilo, 26, and Ahmed, 27, and Singh, 32, both of Leicester, each deny two counts of abduction of a child between January 16 and 19.

Caldeiro-Claudilo has also denied assaulting a child under 13 by penetration, raping a child under 13 and sexual activity with the 14-year-old.

Ahmed denies four counts of sexual activity with the 14-year-old.

Preston Crown Court was told that the defendants were staying at the Travelodge.

Mr Elias, making the prosecution’s opening statement, told the jury the children had been ‘perhaps rather belatedly’ reported missing from their Darwen homes.

Between 11pm and 11.30pm, they were ‘chatted up’ in Blackburn town centre by the defendants who asked if they wanted to chill, the jury was told.

Mr Elias said the girls gave false names and ages.

The defendants took them to the Travelodge at junction 4 of the M65, stopping to buy whisky and cigarettes on the way, the court heard.

They went to Caldeiro-Claudilo's room. Ahmed later went out to buy condoms.

Mr Elias said that both girls were walked back to Blackburn the following morning by Caldeiro-Claudilo.

The 12 year old went home but the 14 year old was spotted by a detective sergeant who detained her as a missing person. She then told police what had happened.

The prosecutor said it was not the Crown's case the two remaining defendants forced the girls, but that the alleged victims were children and the law was there to protect them.

He said: “The Crown says this was the cynical exploitation of vulnerable girls."

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