A man accused of being part of a sex ring that raped and exploited vulnerable teenage girls denied pinning a victim down to rape her and smothering her mouth to keep her quiet.

Nabeel Ahmed, 24, of Chadwell Heath Lane, Chadwell Heath, is on trial with four other men. He denies all charges and claimed the sex he had with an 18-year-old girl was consensual.

He told the jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday he gave her a lift after seeing a man be violent towards her in Chadwell Heath Lane.

He took her to a house in Chadwell Heath where she said she was raped first by his friend Naeem Ahmed, of Westminster Gardens, Barking, then by Nabeel and by Naeem again.

Prosecutor Kate Bex said: “When she wouldn’t stop crying louder and louder, hoping someone would come to help her, you put your hand over her mouth to shut her up.”

Nabeel interrupted: “She didn’t cry. Nothing like that ever happened – I didn’t hold her down, I didn’t hold her throat.

“This is all lies.”

He told the jury the girl had climbed into bed with him and they had consensual sex.

He also denied raping an alleged child prostitute with his brother, Jameel Ahmed, of Neville Road, Dagenham, in an Ilford hotel.

They allegedly turned on the girl after unsuccessful attempts to find another girl from the care home to have sex with.

Nabeel denies three counts of rape and his brother Jameel, 25, denies two.

Naeem, who is not a relation, denies five counts of rape, controlling child prostitution, paying for the sexual services of a child, inciting child prostitution and causing prostitution for a gain.

Anas Iqbal, 25, of Newham Way, East Ham, denies six counts of rape and paying for the sexual services of a child.

Hassan Raza, 23, of Westminster Gardens, denies sexual assault.

The trial continues.