Eight men plead not guilty to child sex offences
The offences are reported to have taken place in a number of locations across England between 2018 and 2021
Last updated 26th Sep 2025
Eight men have denied charges relating to sex offences against a child.
Eleven men stood in the dock, separated into two different hearings, at Warwick Crown Court on Friday in front of Judge Kristina Montgomery KC, but not all of them were asked to enter pleas.
Warwickshire Police previously said the men were charged after alleged offences involving a female child.
They are reported to have taken place in locations including Warwickshire, Yorkshire, Darlington, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Northumbria between 2018 and 2021.
Jack Forrest, 22, of Shilton Lane, Coventry, appeared in court and denied sexual assault of a child under 13, sexual activity with a child and two counts of rape.
Louis Gaskin, 22, of Windmill Lane, Balsall Common, West Midlands, denied four counts of making indecent photographs of a child.
George Flannigan, 21, of The Mead, Darlington, Durham, denied rape of a child under 13, and two counts of making indecent photographs of a child
John Jenkins, 23, of Lime Lane, Walsall, West Midlands, denied a count of rape.
Henry Brazil, 23, of Hessam Heights, Morecambe, Lancashire, denied causing the sexual exploitation of a child and four counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child.
Teddy Jones, 23, of Smorrall Lane, Bedworth, Warwickshire, denied causing the sexual exploitation of a child.
Michael Wilshire, aged 23, of Mile Tree Lane, Coventry, also denied causing the sexual exploitation of a child.
William Evans, 23, of Long Lane, Walsall, West Midlands, pleaded not guilty to causing the sexual exploitation of a child.
Billy Maguire, 20, of Top Road, Coventry, who is charged with rape of a child under 13 and five counts of sexual activity with a child, was not asked to enter pleas during the hearings.
Richard Lee, 22, of Westbourne Grove, Selby, North Yorkshire, who is charged with three counts of making an indecent image of a child, and Henry Gaskin, aged 20, of Measham Road, Oakthorpe, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, who did not appear in court for unrelated reasons, were also not arraigned on Friday.
Charlie Lee, 30, of Mile Tree Lane, Coventry, pleaded guilty to seven indecent images offences at a previous court hearing and will be sentenced at a date to be decided, the court heard.
All men were told to appear at court again on November 7 for a further case management hearing.
Judge Montgomery said there will be two separate trials for the defendants, one starting on January 25 2027, lasting three weeks, and a second trial beginning on February 15 2027, expected to last two weeks.
It has currently not been decided which defendants will be appearing in each trial, a court official said.