Changes for page Grooming Gangs

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3	3	== Overview ==
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5		-Grooming gangs in the UK refers to groups of men who {{tooltip label="groom" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
6		-“Grooming” is building a relationship with a child to abuse or exploit them. See [[Met Police: Grooming>>https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/gr/grooming/]].{{/tooltip}} and {{tooltip label="sexually exploit (CSE)" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
7		-Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of child sexual abuse involving coercion, manipulation or deception for something the child needs or wants. See [[NSPCC: Child sexual exploitation>>https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/child-sexual-exploitation/]].{{/tooltip}} children (often young teenage girls) through manipulation, coercion, and abuse. These crimes involve multiple offenders acting together to groom victims – commonly by feigning friendship or romance, supplying drugs or alcohol, and then subjecting them to rape, {{tooltip label="trafficking" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
8		-Trafficking involves moving or arranging the movement of a child for exploitation; it can be within the UK. See CPS legal guidance on child sexual abuse (CSA) and related offences [[here>>https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/child-sexual-abuse-guidelines-prosecuting-cases-child-sexual-abuse]].{{/tooltip}} and other forms of sexual abuse. The issue gained national attention in the 2010s after a series of high-profile cases revealed systemic failures to protect vulnerable children. Investigations showed that perpetrators in many of these group exploitation cases often shared similar ethnic or social backgrounds, sparking heated debate about cultural factors and institutional cover-ups. In June 2025, a comprehensive {{tooltip label="National Audit on Group-based CSE (Casey, 2025)" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
9		-Independent national audit led by Baroness Louise Casey, commissioned by the UK Home Office, examining group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse. [[Final report (PDF)>>https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/684ffae201d3b0e7b62da722/National_Audit_on_Group-based_Child_Sexual_Exploitation_and_Abuse.pdf]].{{/tooltip}}**{{footnote}} Baroness Louise Casey (2025). National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. Commissioned by the UK Home Office. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/684ffae201d3b0e7b62da722/National_Audit_on_Group-based_Child_Sexual_Exploitation_and_Abuse.pdf https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/downloads/download/31/independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-exploitation-in-rotherham-1997---2013 report also attached(Key findings and quotations on institutional failures, data issues, and recommendations are drawn from this audit’s report.){{/footnote}}** delivered damning findings on how authorities repeatedly failed victims. The audit called for a “national reset” in tackling grooming gangs, highlighting past mistakes – from poor data collection and law enforcement lapses to political reluctance to confront uncomfortable truths. This article provides a historical overview, key case studies, grooming patterns, ethnic dynamics (with numeric breakdowns), institutional responses, failures, controversies, cover-ups, and the latest findings and recommendations as of 2025.
	5	+Grooming gangs in the UK refers to groups of men who {{tooltip label="groom" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}“Grooming” is building a relationship with a child to abuse or exploit them. See [[Met Police: Grooming>>https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/gr/grooming/]].{{/tooltip}} and {{tooltip label="sexually exploit (CSE)" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of child sexual abuse involving coercion, manipulation or deception for something the child needs or wants. See [[NSPCC: Child sexual exploitation>>https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/child-sexual-exploitation/]].{{/tooltip}} children (often young teenage girls) through manipulation, coercion, and abuse. These crimes involve multiple offenders acting together to groom victims – commonly by feigning friendship or romance, supplying drugs or alcohol, and then subjecting them to rape, {{tooltip label="trafficking" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}Trafficking involves moving or arranging the movement of a child for exploitation; it can be within the UK. See CPS legal guidance on child sexual abuse (CSA) and related offences [[here>>https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/child-sexual-abuse-guidelines-prosecuting-cases-child-sexual-abuse]].{{/tooltip}} and other forms of sexual abuse. The issue gained national attention in the 2010s after a series of high-profile cases revealed systemic failures to protect vulnerable children. Investigations showed that perpetrators in many of these group exploitation cases often shared similar ethnic or social backgrounds, sparking heated debate about cultural factors and institutional cover-ups. In June 2025, a comprehensive {{tooltip label="National Audit on Group-based CSE (Casey, 2025)" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}Independent national audit led by Baroness Louise Casey, commissioned by the UK Home Office, examining group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse. [[Final report (PDF)>>https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/684ffae201d3b0e7b62da722/National_Audit_on_Group-based_Child_Sexual_Exploitation_and_Abuse.pdf]].{{/tooltip}}**{{footnote}} Baroness Louise Casey (2025). National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. Commissioned by the UK Home Office. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/684ffae201d3b0e7b62da722/National_Audit_on_Group-based_Child_Sexual_Exploitation_and_Abuse.pdf https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/downloads/download/31/independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-exploitation-in-rotherham-1997---2013 report also attached(Key findings and quotations on institutional failures, data issues, and recommendations are drawn from this audit’s report.){{/footnote}}** delivered damning findings on how authorities repeatedly failed victims. The audit called for a “national reset” in tackling grooming gangs, highlighting past mistakes – from poor data collection and law enforcement lapses to political reluctance to confront uncomfortable truths. This article provides a historical overview, key case studies, grooming patterns, ethnic dynamics (with numeric breakdowns), institutional responses, failures, controversies, cover-ups, and the latest findings and recommendations as of 2025.
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11	11	== Historical Context ==
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17	17	Several major cases and inquiries have defined the grooming gangs scandal in the UK:
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19		-* **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 **{{tooltip label="Operation Stovewood" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
20		-The NCA’s investigation into non-familial CSE in Rotherham; the UK’s largest such law-enforcement investigation. [[NCA overview>>https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/operation-stovewood-rotherham-child-sexual-abuse-investigation]].{{/tooltip}}** 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}} [[image:2ce79810-71d6-11ef-b282-4535eb84fe4b.jpg.webp||alt="National Crime Agency From top left: Abid Saddiq, Mohammed Amar, Mohammed Siyab, Mohammed Zameer Sadiq, Ramin Bari, Tahir Yassin and Yasser Ajaibe"]]
	15	+* **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 **{{tooltip label="Operation Stovewood" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}The NCA’s investigation into non-familial CSE in Rotherham; the UK’s largest such law-enforcement investigation. [[NCA overview>>https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/operation-stovewood-rotherham-child-sexual-abuse-investigation]].{{/tooltip}}** 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}} [[image:2ce79810-71d6-11ef-b282-4535eb84fe4b.jpg.webp||alt="National Crime Agency From top left: Abid Saddiq, Mohammed Amar, Mohammed Siyab, Mohammed Zameer Sadiq, Ramin Bari, Tahir Yassin and Yasser Ajaibe"]]
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22		-* **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.{{footnote}} https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14771955/Rochdale-grooming-gang-convicted-true-horror.html{{/footnote}} 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. {{tooltip label="Serious Case Review (SCR)" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
23		-SCRs (now ‘local child safeguarding practice reviews’) are undertaken when a child dies or is seriously harmed from abuse/neglect, to learn lessons and improve practice. [[NSPCC Learning: Case reviews>>https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/case-reviews]].{{/tooltip}} Rochdale’s case gained widespread attention through media (such as the drama //“[[Three Girls>>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6835252/]]”//) 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.{{footnote}} https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grooming-gangs-report-petition-ethnicity-extremism-b1797262.html{{/footnote}}
	17	+* **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.{{footnote}} https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14771955/Rochdale-grooming-gang-convicted-true-horror.html{{/footnote}} 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. {{tooltip label="Serious Case Review (SCR)" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}SCRs (now ‘local child safeguarding practice reviews’) are undertaken when a child dies or is seriously harmed from abuse/neglect, to learn lessons and improve practice. [[NSPCC Learning: Case reviews>>https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/case-reviews]].{{/tooltip}} Rochdale’s case gained widespread attention through media (such as the drama //“[[Three Girls>>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6835252/]]”//) 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.{{footnote}} https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grooming-gangs-report-petition-ethnicity-extremism-b1797262.html{{/footnote}}
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25	25	* **Derby (Operation Retriever, 2010):** In 2010, Derbyshire police successfully prosecuted a group of men for grooming and raping girls with some as young as 12.{{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-11799797{{/footnote}} 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. {{tooltip}}Peer grooming: using a victim (often older) to befriend and recruit younger victims into abuse networks.{{/tooltip}} The longest sentence given in the case was 3 years, with many not even being deported. {{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-11799797{{/footnote}} [[image:_50708401_liaqat_siddique304.jpg||alt="Mohammed Liaqat, 28, and Abid Saddique, 27"]]
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27	27	* **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.{{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-31643791{{/footnote}} [[image:https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/624/mcs/media/images/81260000/jpg/_81260296_compguilty.jpg||alt="Guilty members of Oxford sex grooming ring (Top L-R) Mohammed Karrar, Bassam Karrar, Akhtar Dogar, Anjum Dogar, (Bottom) Kamar Jamil, Assad Hussain, Zeesham Ahmed"]]
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29		-* **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 {{tooltip label="Operation Chalice" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
30		-2013 West Mercia Police operation that secured multiple convictions for child prostitution/trafficking in Telford. [[West Mercia Police (archived coverage)>>https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-shropshire-21850508]].{{/tooltip}} 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**, with the report stating //“Exploitation was not investigated because of nervousness about race,”// because the perpetrators were mainly reported to be Asian men, he concluded.{{footnote}} https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/telford-grooming-gang-children-abused-b2121490.html{{/footnote}} 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. Multiple girls were even killed to silence others. {{footnote}} https://www.newenglishreview.org/father-of-murdered-telford-teenager-lucy-lowe-is-told-to-be-careful-in-a-chilling-threat-sent-after-he-spoke-out-about-his-fears-his-daughter-was-groomed/?print=print{{/footnote}} [[image:915.jpg||alt="In 2013 seven men were jailed following Operation Chalice, a police inquiry into child prostitution in the Telford area."]]
	23	+* **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 {{tooltip label="Operation Chalice" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}2013 West Mercia Police operation that secured multiple convictions for child prostitution/trafficking in Telford. [[West Mercia Police (archived coverage)>>https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-shropshire-21850508]].{{/tooltip}} 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**, with the report stating //“Exploitation was not investigated because of nervousness about race,”// because the perpetrators were mainly reported to be Asian men, he concluded.{{footnote}} https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/telford-grooming-gang-children-abused-b2121490.html{{/footnote}} 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. Multiple girls were even killed to silence others. {{footnote}} https://www.newenglishreview.org/father-of-murdered-telford-teenager-lucy-lowe-is-told-to-be-careful-in-a-chilling-threat-sent-after-he-spoke-out-about-his-fears-his-daughter-was-groomed/?print=print{{/footnote}} [[image:915.jpg||alt="In 2013 seven men were jailed following Operation Chalice, a police inquiry into child prostitution in the Telford area."]]
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32		-* **Huddersfield (Operation Tendersea, 2017–2018):** In West Yorkshire, a massive investigation into grooming in Huddersfield led to 20 men (mostly of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin) being convicted in 2018 for raping and abusing a group of teenage girls. The trials had to be split into three because of the number of defendants. In total, the Huddersfield gang received over 220 years in prison sentences. The case stood out for its scale (one of the largest single grooming gang prosecutions in the UK) and again showed similar patterns – vulnerable young girls, often from broken homes, were lured by older men, given alcohol or drugs, and then repeatedly assaulted, sometimes by several men in one night. An added controversy was the temporary {{tooltip label="reporting restriction" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
33		-Courts may restrict contemporaneous reporting to avoid prejudicing a trial; breaches risk contempt of court under the Contempt of Court Act 1981. [[Judiciary guidance>>https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/media-guidance/]].{{/tooltip}} on the case, which, when broken by an activist, led to a high-profile {{tooltip label="contempt of court" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
34		-Publishing information that risks serious prejudice to active proceedings can be contempt; penalties include fines or imprisonment. [[UK Courts: Media Guidance>>https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/media-guidance/]].{{/tooltip}} incident. Huddersfield’s case fed into the narrative that these crimes were occurring in many northern towns beyond just the notorious examples. {{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-65276358{{/footnote}} [[image:1750218979305-658.png]]
	25	+* **Huddersfield (Operation Tendersea, 2017–2018):** In West Yorkshire, a massive investigation into grooming in Huddersfield led to 20 men (mostly of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin) being convicted in 2018 for raping and abusing a group of teenage girls. The trials had to be split into three because of the number of defendants. In total, the Huddersfield gang received over 220 years in prison sentences. The case stood out for its scale (one of the largest single grooming gang prosecutions in the UK) and again showed similar patterns – vulnerable young girls, often from broken homes, were lured by older men, given alcohol or drugs, and then repeatedly assaulted, sometimes by several men in one night. An added controversy was the temporary {{tooltip label="reporting restriction" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}Courts may restrict contemporaneous reporting to avoid prejudicing a trial; breaches risk contempt of court under the Contempt of Court Act 1981. [[Judiciary guidance>>https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/media-guidance/]].{{/tooltip}} on the case, which, when broken by an activist, led to a high-profile {{tooltip label="contempt of court" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}Publishing information that risks serious prejudice to active proceedings can be contempt; penalties include fines or imprisonment. [[UK Courts: Media Guidance>>https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/media-guidance/]].{{/tooltip}} incident. Huddersfield’s case fed into the narrative that these crimes were occurring in many northern towns beyond just the notorious examples. {{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-65276358{{/footnote}} [[image:1750218979305-658.png]]
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36		-* **Newcastle (Operation Sanctuary, 2014–2017):** In contrast to some other towns, **Newcastle’s grooming gang** investigation revealed a more ethnically mixed group of offenders. In 2017, as part of {{tooltip label="Operation Sanctuary" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
37		-Northumbria Police’s umbrella operation tackling sexual exploitation and related offences; included covert tactics and safeguarding partnerships. [[BBC coverage>>https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-40879427]].{{/tooltip}}, Newcastle authorities convicted 17 men and one woman for grooming and abusing at least 22 girls and young women. The perpetrators in that network included people of Pakistani, Indian, Iraqi-Kurdish, Bangladeshi, and Eastern European background as well as white British individuals. This diversity underscored that grooming gangs were //not exclusive to one ethnicity//, even if certain areas saw particular groups predominating. Newcastle’s approach was cited as proactive: they ran a {{tooltip label="covert operation" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
38		-Use of undercover policing/surveillance and controlled test purchases; often supported by an independent victim witness. See College of Policing overview on covert tactics [[here>>https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/investigations/covert-policing/]].{{/tooltip}} with a victim who acted as an informant, resulting in a wave of arrests. Nonetheless, a serious case review after Operation Sanctuary still found that earlier warnings had been missed and victims had been dismissed as “child prostitutes” by some officials – echoing themes seen elsewhere. Newcastle’s police and council responded with one of the country’s first {{tooltip label="Complex Abuse units" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}
39		-Teams set up for abuse involving multiple victims/offenders across agencies/locations. [[NSPCC Learning: Complex abuse>>https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection/complex-abuse]].{{/tooltip}} dedicated to such cases and made efforts to share lessons learned nationally. {{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-40879427{{/footnote}} [[image:_97268047_sanctuary_18_comp.jpg.webp||alt="Northumbria Police Operation Shelter defendants who were convicted/pleaded guilty of offences including conspiracy to incite prostitution, rape and drugs"]]
	27	+* **Newcastle (Operation Sanctuary, 2014–2017):** In contrast to some other towns, **Newcastle’s grooming gang** investigation revealed a more ethnically mixed group of offenders. In 2017, as part of {{tooltip label="Operation Sanctuary" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}Northumbria Police’s umbrella operation tackling sexual exploitation and related offences; included covert tactics and safeguarding partnerships. [[BBC coverage>>https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-40879427]].{{/tooltip}}, Newcastle authorities convicted 17 men and one woman for grooming and abusing at least 22 girls and young women. The perpetrators in that network included people of Pakistani, Indian, Iraqi-Kurdish, Bangladeshi, and Eastern European background as well as white British individuals. This diversity underscored that grooming gangs were //not exclusive to one ethnicity//, even if certain areas saw particular groups predominating. Newcastle’s approach was cited as proactive: they ran a {{tooltip label="covert operation" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}Use of undercover policing/surveillance and controlled test purchases; often supported by an independent victim witness. See College of Policing overview on covert tactics [[here>>https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/investigations/covert-policing/]].{{/tooltip}} with a victim who acted as an informant, resulting in a wave of arrests. Nonetheless, a serious case review after Operation Sanctuary still found that earlier warnings had been missed and victims had been dismissed as “child prostitutes” by some officials – echoing themes seen elsewhere. Newcastle’s police and council responded with one of the country’s first {{tooltip label="Complex Abuse units" event="click" style="width: 320px; text-align: left;"}}Teams set up for abuse involving multiple victims/offenders across agencies/locations. NSPCC Learning: Complex abuse."}}
	28	+[[Complex Abuse units>>https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection/complex-abuse]]{{/tooltip}} dedicated to such cases and made efforts to share lessons learned nationally. {{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-40879427{{/footnote}} [[image:_97268047_sanctuary_18_comp.jpg.webp||alt="Northumbria Police Operation Shelter defendants who were convicted/pleaded guilty of offences including conspiracy to incite prostitution, rape and drugs"]]
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41	41	**Other Towns:** Group-based child sexual exploitation has come to light in numerous other locales across England and Wales. Cases in **Derby**, **Bristol**,{{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-30078503{{/footnote}} **Aylesbury**,{{footnote}} https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/07/aylesbury-child-abuse-ring-six-men-handed-long-jail-terms{{/footnote}} **Peterborough**,{{footnote}} https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/20/peterborough-child-sex-gang-sentenced{{/footnote}} **Halifax**,{{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-47475311{{/footnote}} **Oxford**,{{footnote}} https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/may/14/oxford-gang-guilty-grooming-girls{{/footnote}} **Blackburn**,{{footnote}} https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/national/16995621.20-men-guilty-sex-abuse-major-grooming-gang/{{/footnote}} **Keighley**,{{footnote}} https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2kv2nvj1eo{{/footnote}} **Banbury,{{footnote}} https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/17/public-must-keep-calm-over-ethnicity-of-grooming-gang-offenders-says-louise-casey{{/footnote}}** and more have led to convictions of grooming networks since 2010. For example, in Aylesbury, six men (of South Asian ethnicity) were convicted in 2015 of abusing girls as young as 12; in Bristol, a 2014 case involved 13 Somali-background men exploiting teenagers; in Peterborough, a gang of mainly Czech Roma men was convicted in 2015 ({{tooltip}}Operation Erle was Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s probe into organised CSE in Peterborough.{{/tooltip}}). Each case exposed remarkably similar failings: victims were often known to social services, flagged as at-risk, or repeatedly reported missing from care, yet their abuse continued due to poor communication and disbelief. Collectively, these cases demonstrate that grooming gang crimes were not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of organized child sexual exploitation that many authorities struggled to comprehend or were reluctant to openly address. In all cases the perpetrators were overwhelmingly nonwhite.
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177	177	1. **New Statesman (June 2025).** [[https:~~/~~/www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2025/06/the-casey-report-reveals-fifteen-years-of-establishment-denial>>https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2025/06/the-casey-report-reveals-fifteen-years-of-establishment-denial]] “The Casey report reveals 15 years of establishment denial” by Megan Kenyon.
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