Seven men have been charged with more than 40 offences against 11 teenagers as part of an investigation into child sexual exploitation in Bristol.

Police said the alleged offences took place between 2022 and 2025, when the victims were in their mid to late teens.

The men were arrested in April 2024 and released on bail while evidence was gathered. They are due to appear in court this morning.

The investigation began after concerns were raised about the sexual exploitation of a teenage girl in November 2023.

Police said the seven charged are:

Mohamed Arafe, 19, (Syrian): Six child sexual exploitation charges and one count of sexual assault. He also faces two counts over the supply of cocaine and ecstasy.

Sina Omari, 20, (Iranian): Two counts of rape; five child sexual exploitation charges; two counts of making an indecent photo of a child; two counts over the supply of cocaine and ecstasy.

Wadie Sharaf, 21, (Syrian): One count of rape; one count of attempted rape; three counts of sexual assault; one count of sexual activity with a child.

Hussain Bashar, 19 (British): One count of rape.

Mohammed Kurdi, 21 (British): Two counts of rape; two child sexual exploitation charges; two counts over the supply of ecstasy and cannabis.

Unnamed 19-year-old man: Four counts of rape; one child sexual exploitation charges; one count of distributing an indecent photo of a child, two counts over the supply of cocaine and ecstasy.

Unnamed 26-year-old-man: Two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

All the five men named by police are from Bristol.

It comes as the national grooming gangs inquiry is still trying to find a chairperson acceptable to survivors.

The inquiry into the sexual exploitation of white girls by gangs of mainly south Asian men was announced in June following a government U-turn.

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