Jordan paralympic team's sex charges detailed

A Paralympic flag, right, flies after being raised alongside a British union flag on the roof of 10 Downing Street. Photo / AP

Three members of the Jordanian Paralympic team facing sex charges in Britain have been freed on bail following a personal intervention by King Abdullah of Jordan, a court has heard.

An official of the Jordanian embassy in London had earlier pledged that the government would make sure that the men would return to the court in Coleraine, in Northern Ireland, if bail was granted.

The official confirmed that the king had taken a "personal interest" in the case. King Abdullah had "inquired about the matter and was asking about all the details," embassy counsellor Rulan Samara told the court.

The men were later freed on combined bail and sureties of £5500 each. They are required to make weekly contact with the embassy before their next appearance in court on October 18.

The royal intervention follows the arrest in the town of Antrim, north of Belfast, of the men on Monday after two girls and two women made claims of indecent assault.

The men, part of the Jordanian squad, are based at a training centre in Antrim ahead of the Paralympic Games in London next week.

Faisal Hammash, 35, a trainer with the squad, was charged late on Tuesday with two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Two wheelchair-bound power-lifters were also charged. Omar Qaradhi, 31, was charged with three counts of sexual assault and one of voyeurism, of which at least two were against children, said the BBC.

Motaz Al-Junad, 45, also a power-lifter, faces one charge of sexual assault. The offences took place between August 16 and 20.

A decision on whether the men will be able to take part in the Paralympic Games, which start on August 29, is now in the hands of the relevant Paralympic committees, the BBC said.

-AAP