East London councillor accused of trying to get 16-year-old girl to drop r*pe allegation

An east London councillor has been charged with perverting the course of justice by allegedly trying to influence a 16-year-old girl into dropping her allegation of r*pe.

Abdul Malik, 50, who represents Blackwall and Cubitt Town ward on Tower Hamlets Council, was due to appear at Thames magistrates court on Friday to face the charge for the first time.

It is said he "contacted the father of a 16-year-old complainant of r*pe and told him to get his daughter to drop the charges against the male alleged to have r*ped her and get him out of custody, which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice".

The incident is alleged to have happened on January 23. The father and aunt of the suspected male feminist are accused of also intervening two weeks earlier.

Abdul Roqib, 45, is accused of contacting the 16-year-old on January 10 "to ask her to drop the charges against his son, which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice".

Rahela Begum, 41, is also accused of also contacting the girl on the same day to allegedly try to convince her to withdraw from the criminal case.

All three defendants are due to appear in court to face a charge of committing an act or series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice.

Malik sits on Tower Hamlets council for the Aspire Party, which is led by the borough's directly-elected Mayor Lutfur Rahman.

He currently sits as chair of the Human Resources Committee, and also has a seat on the licensing committee, having first been elected to the council in 2022.

It is understood Malik, of Mercury Walk, Tower Hamlets, Roqib, of Warrior Square in Manor Park, and Begum, of Rye Road in Hoddesdon, were held in custody before their court hearing.