THREE men have been cleared of abducting two runaway schoolgirls from Blackburn town centre, on a judge’s orders.
Nelson Caldeiro-Claudino, 26, a Portuguese national, Farooq Ahmed, 27, and Hardeep Singh, 32, were all found not guilty of two charges of child abduction by a Burnley Crown Court jury, on the direction of Judge Heather Lloyd.
Singh, of Barkby Road, Leicester, was discharged from the dock .
Caldeiro-Claudino and Ahmed, also from Leicester, still face allegations they exploited the two schoolgirls, aged 12 and 14, for sex.
Caldeiro-Claudino denies assaulting a child under 13 by penetration, raping a child under 13 and sexual activity with the 14 year old.
Ahmed pleads not guilty to four counts of sexual activity with the 14 year old.
The court has heard claims the girls were plied with drink before sex took place. Caldeiro-Claudino has accepted he had sex with the 12 year old twice.
Ahmed told police he had consensual sex with the 14 year old but thought she was 16.
(Proceeding)
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