A police officer from Bradford will face trial after denying charges of fraud and deception.

Kashif Ahmed, 33, who is suspended from West Yorkshire Police pending the outcome of the case, pleaded not guilty to ten charges at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

His co-accused Shamin Khan, 45, of Avondale Road, Shipley, pleaded not guilty to one charge of fraud, and one of conspiracy to defraud.

Ahmed, who is based in the Leeds North-West division, is accused of four charges of obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, relating to a credit card application, a personal loan and a mortgage loan.

He is charged with fraud relating to three applications for car insurance and a building society loan.

He also faces the same two charges faced by Khan – the fraud charge relating to false representations allegedly made when applying for a finance agreement with Mercedes Benz by claiming to be in a business partnership, trading as the Asian Women and Girls Enterprise Project.

All charges were denied by both defendants, who will face a trial beginning on February 28.

A date previously set for October 11 was vacated because Judge John Potter said the ten days set for trial would not be long enough, as it is expected to last four to five weeks.

Prosecutor Desmond Rosario said the Crown Prosecution Service would be asking for the trial to be moved to a court other than Bradford Crown, for reasons including the fact that Ahmed was a serving police officer in the city during the time the offences are alleged to have taken place and the Asian Women and Girls Enterprise Project is based in the centre of the city.

Judge Potter said the decision whether to move the trial would be made at a later date by the Recorder of Bradford, Judge James Stewart QC.

A group of supporters of Ahmed gathered outside Bradford Crown Court yesterday with placards before the start of yesterday’s hearing.