42 people charged with historic child sexual offending in Dewsbury and Batley

The men and women, who are largely from the Kirklees area, have been charged with a variety of mainly sexual offences as part of an investigation into non-recent child sexual exploitation.

The allegations against the defendants involve offences committed against six female victims, who were children at the time the alleged offending began.

Those alleged offences occurred between 1995 and 2015, largely in the Dewsbury and Batley areas of Kirklees.

The men and women are due to appear at Leeds Magistrates Court on Tuesday November 30.

Those charged with offences are from Dewsbury, Batley, Heckmondwike, Keighley, Bradford, Birmingham and Mirfield.