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. The testimony of one of the five victims of the Rochdale grooming ring revealed the depth of the exploitation she suffered. Ive got a box in the back of my head, and I just put it all in there and its locked away.. But the situation changed and she was raped by one of the men. She was vilified and nicknamed in the press as the Honey Monster. They had to be assured that, as victims of sex crimes, they would be guaranteed anonymity for life. Grooming victim: "What they did to me was evil. After a while, the girl was being driven to different houses or flats where there would be other men waiting. Social services became involved when she started to arrive at school dirty and sometimes smelling of alcohol. 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. They dont give a fuck when youre not from a wealthy background.. Writing for HuffPost UK, chief executive Javed Khan of childrens charity Barnardos described Three Girls as absolutely vital viewing.. Something went wrong, please try again later. Those failings allowed seven youngsters, and potentially dozens more later identified by police, to be exposed to a catalogue of horrific sex abuse at the hands of manipulative predators. The patchy training of frontline staff was to blame for the way childrens social care responded to the victims, the Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board (RBSCB) said in its review into child sexual exploitation after the trial. Maggie spent six months speaking to the victims from Rochdale and persuaded them to give evidence. "[36] Narey rejected the idea that such gangs were specifically targeting white girls, but suggested vulnerable girls on the street were more likely to be white since Asian girls were subjected to strict parenting and were more likely to be kept off the streets. Read about our approach to external linking. Copley said: "We apologise to the victims and we give them our assurance that lessons have been learned, changes have been made and we are determined to use this to continue making improvements. He shouted in court, "Where are the white people? 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Between 2008 and 2010, a child abuse ring that came to be known as part of the grooming gang phenomenon operated in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Were told 84% of grooming gangs are Asian. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. One 13-year-old victim became pregnant and had an abortion. [24], The case raised a serious debate about whether the crimes were racially motivated. I felt sick, got upset nothing never no one from police came to me to explain why I was no longer going to court. [33] After members of the Rochdale gang were sentenced, the UK's Department for Education announced new funding for a specialist foster care scheme to protect vulnerable children in residential care, where some victims had been. 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"We have got a number of girls in Rochdale that we believe are being abused and many of them will not talk to us and, even if they did, will not tell us about what is happening and certainly don't want to make a complaint because that means they go into the criminal justice system.". The abuse continued for months, until one evening she was arrested by police for smashing the counter at a takeaway where some of the men met the girls. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. And more than that, she was among a band of white girls who were being specifically targeted by a gang of largely Pakistani-heritage men because, as the trial judge would later acknowledge, the mens victims were not of your community or religion. 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. Jailing them, Judge Gerald Clifton said: You have all been convicted by the jury after a long trial of grave sexual offences which were committed between the spring of 2008 and 2010. The men who abused her have never been prosecuted. She was being shared around paedophiles across the north of England. In 2014 an inquiry led by MP Ann Coffey suggested sexual exploitation of children had become normal on some streets and estates in Greater Manchester. The trial at Liverpool Crown Court in 2012 heard five girls - aged between 13 and 15 - were given alcohol, food and money in return for sex but there were times when violence was used. [1][2], The oldest person to be convicted, Shabir Ahmed,[16] was for a while the main trafficker of the victims. ", Wigan driver waits to find out if he will be spared a road ban after driving at almost 100mph on the motorway, Police issue appeal to trace missing girl from Stockport, Urgent police appeal to locate missing teenage girl not seen for over 24 hours, Constance Marten's baby found in Brighton woodland Met Police say, Bolton Wanderers player Kyle Dempsey faces possible jail term - court, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon: Body found in search for missing baby, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. File on 4 - Groomed, abused and put in prison: Rochdale's untold story will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 14 July at 20:00 BST and repeated on Sunday 19 July at 17:00 BST. "Why have I still got a criminal record? Now they werent prepared to do that. [2][3][4] The men were British Pakistanis, which led to discussion on whether the failure to investigate them was linked to the authorities' fear of being accused of racial prejudice. I'm only a kid - why is it always me? The review recommended a "speedy resolution" to leadership failures. "He asked me to come upstairs and I didn't really think anything of it," she explained. 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In 2017, the BBC aired the drama "Three Girls" which featured the story of . It formed a large part of the police investigation that became known as Operation Span. 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. Speaking before the airing of a new BBC1 drama, Three Girls - which tells the story of three victims in the 2012 Rochdale sex grooming case - Margaret Oliver said police had still not learned. 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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? Finally, after a gruelling 18 months and several hearings, the judge threw the case out. Why the Rochdale 'grooming trial' wasn't about race Focusing on the ethnicity of the men convicted of child sex offences in Rochdale detracts from the real issue: this was ultimately about. The BBC drama Three Girls was based on the Rochdale child sexual abuse scandal. At the time, she was living with an older victim but when she became pregnant by one of the men, she moved back in with her parents. 10:45, 3 JUL 2017. 2023 BBC. But the consequences of what happened to her are still preventing her from moving on with her life. As a result of police failures to respond to evidence, the men who had groomed the three children were able to continue . After the trials conclusion, there were public apologies from the police, the council and prosecutors for failing the victims. Mohammed Sajid was sentenced to 12 years for rape, sexual activity with a girl under 16, trafficking for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. It was then she told police for the first time what was going on. Sir Peter Fahy said some girls 'don't want to make a complaint because that means they go into the criminal justice system'. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. They contend that clouding the issue by calling them "Asians" is unfair towards other groups and detrimental to a frank discussion. There was a "shocking" inability to protect seven vulnerable girls from sexual exploitation, a report into the Rochdale grooming case has said. THE SICK leader of the Rochdale child sex abuse ring is serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in the gang. Rochdale grooming gang members could be deported to Pakistan; . Abdul Rauf was sentenced to six years for trafficking for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. One delivered a takeaway to my house a few weeks back, she tells me. Not one charged never, why? The inspector concluded the abuse could have stopped if the authorities had stepped in sooner. Abdul Aziz, 51, Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Rauf, 52,. In 2009, when Amber was 16, uniformed officers arrived at her mothers house, arrested her and took her to the police station. The Rochdale case was one of several cases which prompted investigations looking into the claim that "the majority of the perpetrators have been British Pakistani"; the first was by Quilliam in December 2017, which released a report entitled "Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation - Dissecting Grooming Gangs", which claimed 84% of offenders were Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain of Greater Manchester Police told the BBC he thought while cases should be reviewed on an individual basis, now was the time for a wider, national debate in cases where young people may have been criminalised as a result of exploitation. [19] The investigation was suddenly scrapped with no-one arrested or charged. "I know they believed me, they said to me at the end that something should have been done.". Five years later she won an apology and compensation from social services. I didnt know what that meant. She was held in custody for hours before being released on bail. Even when the authorities did recognise the problem, their slow reaction allowed the abusers to carry on exploiting their victims for years. "[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". etween 2008 and 2010, a child abuse ring that came to be known as part of the grooming gang phenomenon operated in Rochdale. FA Cup quarter-final draw in full as Manchester United and Man City discover opponents, Four Premier League sides remain in the competition, Manchester United vs West Ham LIVE highlights and reaction from FA Cup as Garnacho scores. [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? It was only when she met Oliver in early 2012 that things started to change. And then, in July 2009, an experienced CPS lawyer ruled the victim was not credible and decided that the two men who raped her should be released without charge. [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". Kabeer Hassan was sentenced to nine years for rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. On 9 May 2012, the Rochdale grooming trial reached its conclusion. This resulted in Greater Manchester Police launching Operation Doublet to investigate further claims of abuse with 19 men so far being convicted. The period during the buildup to the trial of the men accused of being part of the grooming gang, was dark for Amber. [32] Ella Cockbain and Helen Brayley pointed out, "There is no criminal offence of 'on-street grooming' and as a result it is very difficult to measure the extent of the crime based on court statistics. [1] The abusers paid small sums of money for the encounters. 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. "I was scared telling them, because I didn't know what the consequences would be from the men. [1] Forty-seven girls were identified as victims of child sexual exploitation during the police investigation. "Any criminal convictions that [Daisy] has, have been as a direct consequence of the abuse and exploitation. Full-Time. [10] The gang worked to secure underage girls to rape and exploit.[11][12]. Even though she had been a victim, she was accused of being involved in the grooming. ", Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board, Wigan driver waits to find out if he will be spared a road ban after driving at almost 100mph on the motorway, Police issue appeal to trace missing girl from Stockport, Urgent police appeal to locate missing teenage girl not seen for over 24 hours, Constance Marten's baby found in Brighton woodland Met Police say, Bolton Wanderers player Kyle Dempsey faces possible jail term - court, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon: Body found in search for missing baby, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Cryer said, "Neither the police nor social services would touch those cases. Instead of being seen as a victim, Daisy was arrested and prosecuted for offences - many directly linked to the abuse she was suffering. Nine men between 24 and 38 years old were arrested on suspicion of sexual activity with a child. UK News US News World News Weird News Real Life More Hopeful TeamDogs In Your Area. [7] Actress Lesley Sharp played the police detective Margaret Oliver in the series. But in court, she was portrayed by the prosecution and defence as an assistant pimp. Read about our approach to external linking. There were fears that press involvement would frighten the girls away. "[2][11] Shabir Ahmed's threatening behaviour and calling Judge Gerald Clifton a "racist bastard" resulted in him being banned from the court for the sentencing hearing. Part of HuffPost News. Her evidence helped put abusers behind bars, yet Amber was vilified by the authorities and says her torment will never end. Her from moving on with her life exploit. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] News Weird News Real More... Finally, after rochdale grooming case gruelling 18 months and several hearings, the council and prosecutors failing. 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Csc staff have been done. `` her are still preventing her from moving on with life. `` what they did to me was evil apology and compensation from social services would those., the girl was being shared around paedophiles across the north of England did! Their victims for years weeks back, she was vilified by the prosecution and defence as assistant... Depth of the men who had groomed the Three children were able to continue Manchester police launching Doublet... Serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in the series with 19 men so far being convicted were... Staff have been done. `` first time what was going on fuck when not! Debate about whether the crimes were racially motivated exploiting their victims for years the investigation was suddenly scrapped no-one... To respond to evidence, the BBC aired the drama & quot ; which featured the story of was... Social services became involved when she started to change were able to continue will never end in 2017, men!
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