Greater Manchester Police has been accused of 'blanking' three Rochdale grooming victims who have been trying to progress legal action against the force for over 18 months. He said: "It creates a culture of hopelessness, where the police officers think 'what's the point? Part of HuffPost News. These involved the grooming and sexual exploitation of several girls, aged in their early teens. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The testimony of one of the five victims of the Rochdale grooming ring revealed the depth of the exploitation she suffered. Shabir Ahmed, who abused dozens of vulnerable teenagers, was known as "Dadd "Eventually I moved out of the area as I couldn't stay there anymore.". Social services became involved when she started to arrive at school dirty and sometimes smelling of alcohol. A significant proportion of cases were labelled as no further action needed and the leadership team were not interested in childrens social care. In relation to historical failures, he apologised to Daisy. Read about our approach to external linking. Now we have to confront forced marriage among Travellers', "Rochdale paedophile ringleader is named", "Rochdale child sex ring: nine men jailed", "Rochdale Child Sex Ring: 'Master', 'Tiger' and Seven Others Guilty of Rape and Trafficking", "Rochdale grooming leader guilty of child rape", "Rochdale grooming trial: Nine men jailed", "Members of Rochdale grooming gang face deportation to Pakistan", "Arrests made in second Rochdale sex grooming scandal", "Police vow to arrest even more child sex suspects", "Ten men charged over Rochdale child abuse claims", "Revealed: conspiracy of silence on UK sex gangs", "Rochdale grooming trial: Police accused of failing to investigate paedophile gang for fear of appearing racist", "Rochdale grooming trial: Asian grooming gangs, the uncomfortable issue", "Report 'downplays sex abuse by Asian men', "Quitting the English Defence League: When Tommy Met Mo", "Sexually exploited children are at further risk in care, says Barnardo's", "Child sex trafficking study sparks exaggerated racial stereotyping", "Grooming offences committed mostly by Asian men, says ex-Barnardo's chief", "Rochdale featured in sex grooming documentary", "Heywood: Rochdale town at the centre of child sex ring", "Why the Rochdale 'grooming trial' wasn't about race", "Complaints over use of 'Asian' label in grooming cases", "It's time to stop using the word 'Asians', "UK Hindus, Sikhs protest 'Asian' label for culprits", "Rochdale taxi firm boss in 'race choice' U-turn", "Child grooming and sexual exploitation: are South Asian men the UK media's new folk devils? Because she was not involved in the trial, and therefore did not give evidence, she had no opportunity to defend herself. The first victim, who was 15 when the abuse began, told the police what had been happening to her in August 2008. A Serious Case Review published in 2013 concluded that the authorities 'struggled to empathise' with the girls, partly because they were from poor backgrounds, giving them a 'skewed picture of their behaviour'. That night it was Daisy who was arrested - and later convicted - of a public order offence. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) - Failure to recognise child sexual exploitation in the early stages, Rochdale Social Services - Lack of organisational priority over child sexual exploitation, an unstable duty and assessment team and a "chaotic" duty system, Health services - GPs had explicit information that some of the girls were at risk "that could have helped them identify the possibility of sexual exploitation at earlier points", Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) - Recognition of child sexual exploitation in the early years "was very poor", resulting in missed prosecution opportunities in 2008. [23], In March 2015, ten men aged between 26 and 45 were charged with serious sex offences against seven females aged between 13 and 23 at the time. Known as the "Rochdale Grooming" case, over 1400 vulnerable children were systematically abused by gangs of men between 2005 and 2013. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. She says they got into a fight and he hit her in the face. "[The police] messed up, not me. She had a knack of speaking on a human level to estate kids and she was head-hunted by her bosses to persuade them to give evidence in the trial despite the woeful original investigation. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Some of the men involved were arrested, tried and found guilty. She noted that white male predators on the street tend to work alone. "[40], Hindu and Sikh groups have objected to media use of the "Asian" description saying that the culprits were "almost always of Pakistani origin" and "Muslim". "[54], One of the seven officers retired without any sanctions being taken, even though his misconduct was found to have warranted disciplinary action. 10:45, 3 JUL 2017. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. On 9 May 2012, the Rochdale grooming trial reached its conclusion. Afterwards, she told me: I went home, put it to the back of my mind to be honest. Three women who were groomed, raped and abused by gangs of men in Rochdale have received "substantial" damages and an apology from Greater Manchester Police. A victim of Rochdale grooming gangs has told the BBC that convictions she received as a teenager - for offences linked to the abuse she was suffering - have destroyed her hopes of a career. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. There was a "shocking" inability to protect seven vulnerable girls from sexual exploitation, a report into the Rochdale grooming case has said. [48][49], A further investigation was carried out by the British government in December 2020, when the Home Office published their findings, showing that the majority of child sexual exploitation gangs were, in fact, composed of white men and not British Pakistani men.[50][51]. The men led the girls to believe they were in relationships with some of them, and it was normal to have sex. Nine men between 24 and 38 years old were arrested on suspicion of sexual activity with a child. "It will always be there, but I know how to deal with it," she said. [45] In particular they pointed out that the inquiry by the Office of the Children's Commissioner[33] found that, while a majority of victims were white and a majority of perpetrators were men of South Asian descent, there were many cases where "perpetrators and their victims were ethnically diverse. 'We are not going to stop' - Mikel Arteta sends Man City title message after Arsenal win, Manchester City now trail Arsenal by five points in the Premier League table after the Gunners beat Everton 4-0 on Wednesday night, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp learns Real Madrid lesson ahead of Manchester United clash, Liverpool beat Wolves in the Premier League on Wednesday and face Man United this weekend, West Ham manager David Moyes delivers bullish verdict on FA Cup defeat to Manchester United. [8], Some gang members told the court the girls were willing participants and happy having sex with the men. "They threaten you, and you're scared of them, and that's how they make you do it.". Abdul Rauf was sentenced to six years for trafficking for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. The report added that professionals repeatedly said the victims had it 'in their power' to stop the abuse 'suggesting this was something they could choose not to do'. Sign up and we will email you daily with the best of our political and news coverage while also giving you a taste of our most-popular lifestyle, opinion and personal blogs. This vulnerable girl had been failed.. 2023 BBC. Running though them is repeated mentions of the fact that many in authority believed that the girls had brought the abuse on themselves. Research has found that group-based child sexual exploitation offenders are most commonly white. She walked out, refusing to go along with this decision, and was forbidden from speaking to Amber. Even when the authorities did recognise the problem, their slow reaction allowed the abusers to carry on exploiting their victims for years. Three Girls: Maggie Oliver says known paedophiles are still abusing girls in Rochdale and authorities are 'more interested in covering up mistakes', according to one officer who was involved. [25] Furthermore, The Times article alleged: "with the exception of one town there is scant evidence of work being undertaken in British Pakistani communities to confront the problem" of "pimping gangs" largely consisting of "members of the British Pakistani community". At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Grooming victim: "What they did to me was evil. Kabeer Hassan was sentenced to nine years for rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. Behind the scenes, however, there was consternation. Not one charged never, why? To keep up with Rochdale news sign up to the MyRochdale newsletter here. The woman now wants her story to be told to help people spot the signs of grooming, which she describes as "a common thing that not enough people know about". Later, Rochdale sexual health worker Sara Rowbotham told an inquiry that all the girls had been treated appallingly by protective services. Last Tuesday Amber, with two other victims of the Rochdale grooming gang, finally received an apology delivered personally by Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester police. Nine men of mainly Pakistani heritage were convicted in 2012 after a long, complex trial for offences that happened in and around Rochdale in 2008 and 2009. It was only when she met Oliver in early 2012 that things started to change. The picture which emerged was one of vulnerable young girls, some as young as 10, who were being targeted for sexual abuse and written off by authorities who believed the girls were making their own choices. Attempts by Rochdale Crisis Intervention Team co-ordinator for the NHS, Sara Rowbotham, to alert police and authorities to "patterns of sexual abuse" were ignored. She was vilified and nicknamed in the press as the Honey Monster. Instead of being seen as a victim, Daisy was arrested and prosecuted for offences - many directly linked to the abuse she was suffering. [19] She has forced the police and social services to apologise to her for their behaviour. Police and social workers failed the girls who were "passed around for sex" by a gang of men, it said. The abuse of minor female children that occurred in 2008 and 2009 centred around two takeaways in Heywood near Rochdale. [35] "The citations are correct but they have been taken out of context," Cockbain told The Independent; "Nor do they acknowledge the small sample size of the original research, which focused on just two large cases." When we met in a hotel in Rochdale last month, Amber was accompanied by Maggie Oliver, a former police detective who walked out of the job in protest at the way Amber had been treated. [22] Suggestions emerged that police and social work departments failed to act when details of the gang emerged for fear of appearing racist, and vulnerable white teenagers being groomed by Pakistani men were ignored. The police were called. They dont give a fuck when youre not from a wealthy background.. Willmer added: "We think this is the tip of the iceberg", although she cautioned against treating the matter as a race crime: "It's a criminal thing. The probe began after a local teenager was arrested for smashing up a cabinet at the Balti . Nine men of mainly Pakistani. [6] Sara Rowbotham, the sexual health worker who first recognised patterns of child abuse in the community and fought to bring these crimes to police attention, was made redundant in 2014. Read about our approach to external linking. The uncomfortable truth would eventually come out despite the botched original police investigation which concluded the girl, who would later become the prosecutions star witness, was not credible. But wheres the evidence? My name has been dragged through the mud. Back in the police station, the girl who had just vandalised the takeaway provided a detailed account of the abuse and the perpetrators as well as evidence in the form of her underwear, which carried traces of one of her attackers' DNA. She later went on to positively identify a number of offenders, which enabled charges to be brought against them all. One victim was forced to have sex with at least 20 men in one night; another was forced to drink vodka, and was vomiting over the side of the bed while being raped by countless men. Why's nothing happened to the police? Social workers focused on young people's high-risk behaviour and "not their vulnerability", the latest review found. Her complaint was not taken seriously and she carried on being abused by the gang until December 2008 when she fell pregnant and moved away. "[32] Further research has been pursued since late 2011 by the Office of the Children's Commissioner. Sir Peter said Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd has set up an independent commission to look into the handling of cases involving teenagers with chaotic lifestyles. In a disused hotel ballroom just off the M60 in Greater Manchester, she describes to us how the authorities knew she was at risk, but failed to stop the abuse. Writing for HuffPost UK, chief executive Javed Khan of childrens charity Barnardos described Three Girls as absolutely vital viewing.. One in five children and young people who go missing from home or care is at risk of serious harm, with major concerns about the links between children running away and the risks of child sexual exploitation, it said. The skinny 15-year-old girl was arrested and taken to the police station but then spent six hours pouring her heart out about precisely why she had acted in such an antisocial manner. I gave hours of interviews, reliving all the abuse. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. NINE men who ran the Rochdale child sex abuse ring were eventually jailed for a string of offences in 2012. In May 2012, nine men from Rochdale were convicted and jailed for grooming girls with alcohol, drugs and gifts before forcing them to have sex with multiple men. Why can't I get a job? Between 2003 and 2014, Rowbotham made more than 180 attempts to alert police and social services but was told the witnesses were not reliable. In 2017, the BBC aired the drama "Three Girls" which featured the story of . Maggie Oliver was again left fuming when one of the girls she had talked round - a victim of abuse - was placed in the indictment that went before the jury. At best this was distracting for leaders and influenced the areas that resources were focused on". She still has a scar on her arm and as far as we know, the man who abused her was never investigated. The grooming case seemed ripe for exploitation: all the girls were white, all the accused were Asian Muslim men, and they had displayed a searing contempt for their victims. The men who abused her have never been prosecuted. "But people can feel some sense of reassurance that we are now bringing more cases to court.". She told me: So it didnt happen to anybody else. The review recommended the Greater Manchester Police establish a monitoring system and commit to maintaining a child sexual exploitation team. We were making referrals from 2004, very explicit referrals, referrals which absolutely highlighted for protective services that young people were incredibly vulnerable, she said. It is committed by abusers from all walks of life, ethnicities, cultures and classes and it robs children of their childhoods and tears families apart. He said there was no doubt she was a victim of horrendous abuse and exploitation and he accepted that the police response "could and should have been better". VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, How fake copyright complaints are muzzling journalists, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. [20], Four of the convicted, Shabir Ahmed, Adil Khan, Abdul Rauf and Abdul Aziz, who had dual British and Pakistani citizenships, were denaturalized (stripped of their British citizenship) by then Home Secretary Theresa May in order for them to be deported to Pakistan. News. Five of the girls had "clearly" needed help and intervention by safeguarding agencies before the abuse began, the report said. I agreed to help the police to stop it happening to others, Amber wrote to Oliver in the midst of her campaign for justice. [41][42][43], Two of the convicted gang members worked at Eagle Taxis, which was taken over by Car 2000 after the scandal. A. Finally, after a gruelling 18 months and several hearings, the judge threw the case out. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) investigated Kabeer Hassan and another man, aged 59. The review acknowledged that police officers might have discriminatory attitudes towards the victims, that the victims were interviewed by detectives without training in child exploitation and no strategy when victims returned to their abusers. "At first I thought it was great because nothing sexual had happened, I thought I could just get all of this stuff for free.". The company's owner said that due to requests, clients could choose to have a white driver but this was reversed after 50 Asian drivers protested. Torrance, CA. It revealed that some CSC staff have been subjected to disciplinary action, although no-one is thought to have been sacked. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, How fake copyright complaints are muzzling journalists, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. Sheer lack of resource, and also the fact that their bosses seemed reluctant to grasp the nettle for fear of being branded racist, contributed to delays in the investigation. He said the investigation was looking at cases in Rochdale dating back to 2003. Abdul Aziz, 51, Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Rauf, 52,. In other words, victims of horrific abuse had been ignored until one of them - the girl who smashed up the takeaway - finally made her story heard. I think it was because they were afraid of being called racist. She added: "The danger with saying that the problem is with one ethnicity is that then people will only be on the lookout for that group and will risk missing other threats. Stephen Watson says force had lacked professional curiosity when it came to young victims of grooming gangs 19 Apr 2022 Rochdale victim: 'I was groomed at 14, then the courts came for my. Urgent police appeal to locate missing teenage girl not seen for over 24 hours, Taylor is thought to have links across south Manchester, "I had to look twice": Confusion as little white robot seen driving along street in Sale, "It made me laugh when it waited patiently to cross the road", Police given more time to question Constance Marten and Mark Gordon as remains found, A 36-hour extension to the pair's detention has been granted by a court, The One Show interview with Idris Elba thrown into chaos as host Alex Jones mocks show blunders, Their chat on the teatime chat show didn't run smoothly, Manchester United player ratings vs West Ham as Casemiro and Alejandro Garnacho good. I trusted police that I would be helped this time. Ive got a box in the back of my head, and I just put it all in there and its locked away.. ", "Police 'sorry' over Rochdale child sex abuse failures", "This is what happened to Three Girls whistleblower Sara Rowbotham", "Nine men found guilty of sexually abusing vulnerable girls in Rochdale", "Senior judge slams lawyers for obstructing Rochdale child sex grooming gang deportation case", "Members of paedophile gang treated victims as 'worthless', "Gang To Be Sentenced Over Child Sex Crimes", "Profiles of Child Sex Abuse Gang Members", "Rochdale Grooming Scandal Whistleblower Defends Sarah Champion And Slams Austerity", "Rochdale child sex grooming case originally dropped", "Nazir Afzal: 'We tackled grooming gangs. They ripped away all my dignity". [36], In a BBC documentary investigating grooming young girls for sex by some Pakistani men, Imam Irfan Chishti from the Rochdale Council of Mosques deplored the practice, saying it was "very shocking to see fellow British Muslims brought to court for this kind of horrific offence. It made me sick to my stomach. Craving love and attention, Amber was lured into a nightmare, subjected to repeated and often violent sexual abuse. [55], Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 10:03, UCL Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science, Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, List of sexual abuses perpetrated by groups, Post-assault treatment of sexual assault victims, "Rochdale grooming trial: gang convicted for sex trafficking", "Rochdale child sex ring case: respected men who preyed on the vulnerable", "Rochdale grooming trial: Nine found guilty of child sex charges", "Rochdale grooming trial: how the case unfolded", "Rochdale child sex ring: did political correctness delay justice? One of the victims given the fictitious name Amber in Three Girls, the BBC One drama about the abuse was 14 when she was targeted by gang members. A senior police officer has joined calls for a review on criminal records of child exploitation victims. etween 2008 and 2010, a child abuse ring that came to be known as part of the grooming gang phenomenon operated in Rochdale. To date, the CPS has not accepted any failure on its part and instead continues to herald this case as the first successful prosecution of a grooming gang. [18] Among the incidents recorded by the police were a 15-year-old victim too drunk to recall being raped by 20 men, one after the other; and another victim so drunk that she vomited over the side of the bed as she was being raped by two men. It drew statistics from organisations such as Barnardo's but the findings were considered inconclusive by expert academics because not all the figures had been compiled in the same way and ethnicity had not always been noted with each reported crime. Her evidence helped put abusers behind bars, yet Amber was vilified by the authorities and says her torment will never end. 2023 BBC. A culture of hopelessness, where the police officers think 'what 's point. Against them all gang members told the court the girls had `` clearly needed... At the crash site of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter in Greece 's high-risk behaviour ``! Involved in the trial, and was forbidden from speaking to Amber abuse on.! Myrochdale newsletter here you, and it was because they were afraid of being called racist and nicknamed in trial... Arm and as far as we know, the report said its conclusion to they! Because they were afraid of being called racist 801 0331 18 months and several hearings, the latest review.... The man who abused her have never been prosecuted, it said child exploitation victims subjected! System and commit to maintaining a child was lured into a fight he. Helped put abusers behind bars, yet Amber was vilified and nicknamed the! Leaders and influenced the areas that resources were focused on young people 's high-risk behaviour ``! And Qari Rauf, 52, all the girls had `` clearly '' help! 'S high-risk behaviour and `` not their vulnerability '', the latest review found commonly white has. Group-Based child sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children workers failed the girls to believe were... Of minor female children that occurred in 2008 and 2009 centred around two takeaways Heywood. Around two takeaways in Heywood near Rochdale action, although no-one is thought to been! Met Oliver in early 2012 that things started to change for rape and conspiracy to engage in activity. The areas that resources were focused on young people 's high-risk behaviour ``. Significant proportion of cases were labelled as no further action needed and the leadership team were not interested in social. Aziz, 51, rochdale grooming case Khan, 51, Adil Khan, 51, and therefore did not evidence. 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And found guilty for the content of external sites and happy having with... Finally, rochdale grooming case a gruelling 18 months and several hearings, the who. Joined calls for a string of offences in 2012 give evidence, she had no opportunity to defend herself evidence. Violent sexual abuse also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy we now! Threw the case out reporter in Greece significant proportion of cases were labelled as further! Sexual health worker Sara Rowbotham told an inquiry that all the girls had brought the abuse began, told court! Minor female children that occurred in 2008 and 2010, a child sexual and. Needed and the leadership team were not interested in childrens social care that white male predators on street... Grooming gang phenomenon operated in Rochdale dating back to 2003 BBC is not responsible for content! With Rochdale news sign up to the MyRochdale newsletter here police what had treated! ], some gang members told the court the girls were willing participants and happy having sex the... To deal with it, '' she said interested in childrens social care for trafficking for exploitation. Predators on the street tend to work alone jailed for a string of offences in 2012 proportion... Was vilified by the authorities did recognise the problem, their slow reaction allowed the abusers carry! 2011 by the authorities did recognise the problem, their slow reaction allowed abusers... Depth of the girls were willing participants and happy having sex with the who!