A wanted man from Rochdale will be brought before the courts after he was stopped at Manchester Airport over several charges of sexual offences against children.

Tahir Rashid was detained by officers when he arrived at Manchester Airport in the early hours of Wednesday (April 4) morning.

In April last year, the force's dedicated Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team charged the 53-year-old with 13 offences.

These included sexual activity with a child and rape, but he did not appear to formally receive the charges.

Rashid, of Hudsons Walk in Rochdale, was then declared wanted before police detained him at the arrivals gate of the airport.

He has now been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday, May 9, where he will face charges including six counts of rape, six counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of sexual assault.

Rashid is also the 29th man to have a court date set as part of GMP's wide-ranging investigation into alleged offending in Rochdale between 2000 and 2008, codenamed 'Operation Lytton'.

All the other 28 suspects have also been charged as part of the operation and have upcoming court dates with trials due to begin in 2025.

Detective Chief Inspector Guy Laycock, Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Lytton, said: “Ever since the start of this investigation in 2016, we have been totally committed to ensuring the best possible outcomes for the survivors who have long awaited justice.

“Our investigation – like all of our wide-ranging and complex cases in CSE Major Investigation Team – has worked diligently and professionally to ensure every suspect is investigated and brought to court to be tried for these offences.

"This significant work will continue ahead of the trials for this case in 2025.”