Changes for page Grooming Gangs

Summary

• Page properties (1 modified, 0 added, 0 removed)

Details

Page properties

Content

...	...	@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@
14	14
15	15	Several major cases and inquiries have defined the grooming gangs scandal in the UK:
16	16
17		-* **Rotherham (1997–2013):** An independent inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay estimated ~~1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham over a 16-year period. Girls as young as 11 were raped by large numbers of men, often in organized networks. The majority of identified perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage;{{footnote}} https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/downloads/download/31/independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-exploitation-in-rotherham-1997---2013{{/footnote}} victims were mostly white British girls. The Jay Report found that police and council officials repeatedly ignored clear evidence of abuse. Some senior officials were reluctant to investigate or report the ethnicity of suspects //“for fear of being thought racist”//, and in some cases managers **instructed staff not to mention suspects’ ethnic origins**. This political correctness and fear of inflaming community tensions contributed to systematic cover-ups. The scandal led to multiple criminal trials (Operation Clover and others) resulting in convictions of around 20 perpetrators by 2016, and to the resignation of council leaders. In 2015 the government appointed **Louise Casey** to inspect Rotherham Council; her report concluded the council was //“not fit for purpose”// and had //“blatant”// failures in leadership. The National Crime Agency later launched **Operation Stovewood** to investigate Rotherham’s historical cases, which by 2024 had charged or convicted dozens more men. Rotherham became emblematic of how grooming gangs thrived while authorities turned a blind eye.{{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-28995751{{/footnote}} {{footnote}} https://thelead.uk/we-are-known-now-drawn-out-aftermath-rotherham-and-rochdale-child-exploitation-scandal{{/footnote}} {{footnote}} {{/footnote}}
18		-* **Rochdale (2008–2012):** In Rochdale and nearby Oldham, Greater Manchester, a gang of men ran a child exploitation ring out of takeaways and houses. Police had received reports as early as 2008, but an initial prosecution was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which infamously described one 15-year-old victim as //“not credible”// – essentially labeling her an unreliable witness and **child prostitute**. It was only after investigative press coverage that a renewed operation secured convictions. In 2012, nine men (eight of Pakistani origin and one Afghan) were convicted of grooming and sexually abusing at least 47 girls. The victims – mostly white British teenagers from troubled backgrounds – were plied with alcohol, food, and small sums of money, then passed around to be raped by multiple men. A 2013 serious case review noted that agencies had failed these girls and recommended improvements in how victims are seen and suspects tracked. Rochdale’s case gained widespread attention through media (such as the drama //“Three Girls”//) and exposed how prejudice and disbelief among professionals had allowed abuse to continue. The scandal led to the resignation of the head of Rochdale Council’s social services and was one impetus for broader inquiries (such as a 2013 Home Affairs Select Committee report) that urged agencies to acknowledge patterns of group grooming and not let //“racial or ethnic sensitivities”// deter action.
	17	+* **Rotherham (1997–2013):** An independent inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay estimated ~~1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham over a 16-year period. Girls as young as 11 were raped by large numbers of men, often in organized networks. The majority of identified perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage;{{footnote}} https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/downloads/download/31/independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-exploitation-in-rotherham-1997---2013{{/footnote}} victims were mostly white British girls. The Jay Report found that police and council officials repeatedly ignored clear evidence of abuse. Some senior officials were reluctant to investigate or report the ethnicity of suspects //“for fear of being thought racist”//, and in some cases managers **instructed staff not to mention suspects’ ethnic origins**. This political correctness and fear of inflaming community tensions contributed to systematic cover-ups. The scandal led to multiple criminal trials (Operation Clover and others) resulting in convictions of around 20 perpetrators by 2016, and to the resignation of council leaders. In 2015 the government appointed **Louise Casey** to inspect Rotherham Council; her report concluded the council was //“not fit for purpose”// and had //“blatant”// failures in leadership. The National Crime Agency later launched **Operation Stovewood{{footnote}} https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/operation-stovewood-seven-men-jailed-total-106-years-sexually-abusing-two-young-girls{{/footnote}}** to investigate Rotherham’s historical cases, which by 2024 had charged or convicted dozens more men. Rotherham became emblematic of how grooming gangs thrived while authorities turned a blind eye.{{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-28995751{{/footnote}} {{footnote}} https://thelead.uk/we-are-known-now-drawn-out-aftermath-rotherham-and-rochdale-child-exploitation-scandal{{/footnote}} {{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-28939089{{/footnote}}
	18	+* **Rochdale (2008–2012):** In Rochdale and nearby Oldham, Greater Manchester, a gang of men ran a child exploitation ring out of takeaways and houses. Police had received reports as early as 2008, but an initial prosecution was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which infamously described one 10-year-old victim as //“not credible”// – essentially labeling her an unreliable witness and child prostitute.{{footnote}} https://news.sky.com/story/rochdale-grooming-trial-hears-girl-10-labelled-prostitute-by-social-services-13309361{{/footnote}} It was only after investigative press coverage that a renewed operation secured convictions. In 2012, nine men (eight of Pakistani origin and one Afghan) were convicted of grooming and sexually abusing at least 47 girls. The victims – mostly white British teenagers from troubled backgrounds – were plied with alcohol, food, and small sums of money, then passed around to be raped by multiple men. A 2013 serious case review noted that agencies had failed these girls and recommended improvements in how victims are seen and suspects tracked. Rochdale’s case gained widespread attention through media (such as the drama //“Three Girls”//) and exposed how prejudice and disbelief among professionals had allowed abuse to continue. The scandal led to the resignation of the head of Rochdale Council’s social services and was one impetus for broader inquiries (such as a 2013 Home Affairs Select Committee report) that urged agencies to acknowledge patterns of group grooming and not let //“racial or ethnic sensitivities”// deter action.
19	19	* **Derby (Operation Retriever, 2010):** In 2010, Derbyshire police successfully prosecuted a group of men for grooming and raping girls as young as 12. Eleven men (mostly of British Asian background) were convicted on charges including rape and trafficking for sexual exploitation. The Derby case is often cited as one of the first major “grooming gang” trials, revealing similar tactics: the men targeted vulnerable teens from local care homes, grooming them with gifts and then subjecting them to gang rape. A serious case review afterwards identified that at least 27 victims had been abused and criticized earlier failures to connect the patterns. It noted multiple perpetrators working together and even using one girl to recruit others – establishing a model of **peer grooming** that would be seen in later cases.
20	20	* **Oxford (Operation Bullfinch, 2013):** Police in Oxfordshire uncovered a network of men who had been sexually abusing girls in the town of Oxford between 2004 and 2012. In 2013, seven men (all of South Asian Muslim background, mostly Pakistani heritage) were convicted of rape, child prostitution, and trafficking. The victims – six girls aged 11–15 – were repeatedly raped and subjected to extreme cruelty (including branding and beatings). An **independent Serious Case Review** in 2015 found that authorities had opportunities to intervene but largely miscategorized the girls as “problematic” teenagers making “lifestyle choices.” It concluded that the perpetrators’ ethnicity (Pakistani) had not been the primary reason for the authorities’ failings – instead, the girls’ vulnerability and complaints were simply not taken seriously enough. Nonetheless, like elsewhere, **ethnicity was rarely recorded in files**, and there was confusion over whether to treat it as a factor. The Oxford case prompted improved multi-agency work in that county and became a case study in training for social workers nationwide.
21	21	* **Telford (1980s–2010s):** Media investigations have alleged that Telford (a town in Shropshire) might have had up to 1,000 grooming gang victims since the 1980s, making it one of the worst examples. In 2018 these claims led Telford’s council to commission an independent inquiry. Published in 2022, the inquiry (led by Tom Crowther QC) confirmed that at least several hundred children were sexually exploited over decades and that agencies repeatedly failed to protect them. It found that police operations (such as Operation Chalice in 2013) had convicted some offenders – seven men of Pakistani origin were jailed in 2013 – but many perpetrators remained free due to police inaction. The report detailed horrific abuse, including girls being trafficked between Telford and other cities, and **multiple chances missed** to stop known offenders. It also highlighted how police and council staff **feared being accused of racism**, which contributed to reluctance in the mid-2000s to publicize or crack down on predominantly Asian grooming networks. Telford authorities were found to have //“underplayed the scale of abuse”// and even at times misled the public about it. The 2022 inquiry called for a candid acknowledgement of past mistakes and more robust safeguarding.