[1] Forty-seven girls were identified as victims of child sexual exploitation during the police investigation. What the police and CPS did to me was worse than the abuse The apology will be a kind of a weight lifted from me. But the nightmare will never really be over. Part of HuffPost News. I asked Amber what gave her the strength to give evidence to the police, after what she had gone through. Without Ambers initial evidence there might never have been a trial at all. 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. [47] However this report was "fiercely" criticised for its unscientific nature and poor methodology by child sexual exploitation experts Ella Cockbain and Waqas Tufail, in their paper "Failing Victims, Fuelling Hate: Challenging the Harms of the 'Muslim grooming gangs' Narrative" which was published in January 2020. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. The exposure of the grooming, sexual assault and trafficking of young girls in Rochdale was made public in 2012. [21], Following the break up of the first sex ring in May 2012, the police made arrests in relation to another child sexual exploitation ring in Rochdale. "It's not a normal relationship when your boyfriend is getting you to sleep with all his friends for money.". Man United beat West Ham United 3-1 in the fifth round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening. This kind of institutional neglect of a whole sector of society must never happen again and we need programmes like Three Girls to remind us.. But after a while it had been going on for so long and with so many different men, I didn't feel anything towards it anymore. A ringleader of a grooming gang has avoided being deported so it would therefore be wrong to deport two other gang members, a tribunal has heard. News. [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? 2023 BBC. Actress Maxine Peake starred in the series as Sara Rowbotham, the sexual health aid worker who first uncovered the patterns of severe abuse in the area, but struggled to bring it to the attention of authorities. Must demonstrate independence and competence in the duties on a variety of procedures. [32], In 2011, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre launched a five-month long investigation into whether there was a link between racial profile and the crime of underage grooming. [25][26][27] A report by the deputy children's commissioner in 2012 said that 33% of child sex abuse by gangs in Britain was committed by British Asians, where Asians are 7% of the population, but concluded that it was "irresponsible" to dwell on the data. I think it was because they were afraid of being called racist. [17] Abdul Aziz, a married father of three, took over from Shabir Ahmed as the main trafficker and was paid by various men to supply underage girls for sex. "I tried to say no in a nice way, but he wasn't having it.". 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. The grooming and subsequent abuse - which centred around the town of Heywood - began when the woman, now aged 19, was a 15-year-old schoolgirl. Shed been the victim of abuse from the age of 14. Girls aged between 13 and 15 were trafficked, prostituted, raped and assaulted by the gang. The perpetrators would pass the girls to their friends, often to settle a debt. [7] A former Detective Constable who was investigating the grooming gangs, Margaret Oliver, resigned in 2012 in disgust of the handling of the cases by the police force and spoke out as a whistleblower to inform the public. She said that seven officers had been served with misconduct notices, but no further disciplinary action would be taken against them. Who were the men in the Rochdale grooming gang and what happened to them? "[54], One of the seven officers retired without any sanctions being taken, even though his misconduct was found to have warranted disciplinary action. Finally, she has been exonerated. An independent report commissioned by Rochdale council said three employees had spoken of victims making life choices rather than being rape victims. Of the three not convicted, one was cleared of all charges, the jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case of the second, and the third was not present at the trial after fleeing to Pakistan whilst on bail. 2023 BBC. "[32], The former head of Barnardo's, Martin Narey, said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "For this particular type of crime, the street grooming of teenage girls in northern towns there is very troubling evidence that Asians are overwhelmingly represented in the prosecutions for such offences. She's now in her late 20s. Speaking at the conclusion of a 10-week trial at Liverpool Crown. The ID parades were particularly gruelling for Amber, who did 12 in one day alone, correctly identifying 10 of her abusers. I was like, 'why are you not listening? The organisation defined underage grooming as any situation where a child or young person received a gift in exchange for sexual favours. In 2019, Amber, along with two other victims, with the help of the Centre for Womens Justice, issued a civil claim for damages against GMP and the director of public prosecutions (DPP). Their treatment encompasses a range of catastrophic errors in one of the countrys most harrowing child sexual abuse scandals. I hoped that I would be able to persuade the elders to go knocking on doors and say 'this behaviour is un-Islamic and I want it to stop because I'm going to tell the whole community about you and what youre doing if you dont'. Tellingly, he added: I believe that one of the factors that led to that was that they were not of your community or religion. I didnt know what that meant. She was held in custody for hours before being released on bail. Two worked for the same taxi firm and another two worked at a takeaway restaurant; some came from the same village in Pakistan and another two men shared a flat. It was outrageous. By then police were investigating allegations from another girl about on-street grooming in Heywood. "I was scared telling them, because I didn't know what the consequences would be from the men. Harriet Wistrich, director of the Centre for Women's Justice, is supporting Daisy in a civil action against Greater Manchester Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. [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. There were therefore many still walking free that had evaded detection. A key member of the team was Detective Constable Maggie Oliver whose task was to convince the victims to speak to the police. The ringleader, 59-year-old Shabir Ahmed, claimed the girls were "prostitutes" who had been running a "business empire" and it was all "white lies". What about them? Following the case in Rochdale similar cases of grooming and sexual abuse/exploitation of young girls came to light in various towns and cities across the UK. Speaking at the conclusion of a 10-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the woman, who cannot be identified, said she was forced to have sex with up to five different men in a day, at least four times a week. Writing in The Guardian, Cockbain and Tufail wrote of the report that "The two-year study by the Home Office makes very clear that there are no grounds for asserting that Muslim or Pakistani-heritage men are disproportionately engaged in such crimes, and, citing our research, it confirmed the unreliability of the Quilliam claim". Read about our approach to external linking. He shouted in court, "Where are the white people? Critics say the delays meant more girls were left to be abused while the criminal justice system slowly changed its course. [14] The CPS's original decision was overturned in 2011 when a new chief prosecutor for the region, Nazir Afzal, a first generation British-Pakistani,[15] was appointed. It meant she was regarded by the prosecution as a member of the grooming gang whose members would go in the dock, even though she was not charged and would not stand beside them in court. The abuse then continued, with a number of men who she had not seen before joining in. The Rochdale child sex abuse ring involved underage teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. The first victim, who was 15 when the abuse began, told the police what had been happening to her in August 2008. The probe began after a local teenager was arrested for smashing up a cabinet at the Balti . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Cockbain and Brayley expressed concern that "findings were being overextended from a small, geographically concentrated sample to characterise an entire crime type". [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. 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. Later, Rochdale sexual health worker Sara Rowbotham told an inquiry that all the girls had been treated appallingly by protective services. had learned about the investigation but after approaching GMP we were told to hold off until the victims had been spoken to. She specifically spoke of her abuse at the hands of two members of the gang who would later be jailed four years. Her act of pent-up frustration in the takeaway - followed by her bravery in speaking out - was the first step, a key moment that would lead to questions about the part which racial identity played in sexual grooming of children in the town and in other places up and down the country. Nine men have each been sentenced to up to 25 years in jail for a catalogue of serious sexual offences against teenage girls in Rochdale, exposed following widespread media coverage of grooming. While this is true, Amber believes that she was used as a scapegoat. 10:45, 3 JUL 2017. More arrests, and more . They dont give a fuck when youre not from a wealthy background.. "Eventually I moved out of the area as I couldn't stay there anymore.". "At first I felt really bad, dirty and ashamed. ', "We haven't sorted out a solution to these really complex issues about young people.". 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. *To protect her identity the victim's name has been changed. A serious case review by the Rochdale. Last month we met Daisy*, who found herself at the centre of the scandal all those years ago. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Fungus case forces Jack Daniels to halt construction, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US, Man survives 31 days in jungle by eating worms. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Fungus case forces Jack Daniels to halt construction, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US, Man survives 31 days in jungle by eating worms. Research has found that group-based child sexual exploitation offenders are most commonly white. [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. 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. It was like a casual, Oh, bring your friends. She was a vulnerable child, being sexually abused, controlled and in fear. Rochdale grooming case - what really happened? Molly Windsor, Liv Hill and Ria Zmitrowicz feature as a trio of girls drawn into the frightening world of sexual exploitation. The investigation slowly built a compelling case, away from the public gaze. During that period, Amber by now pregnant and living in a one-room flat continued to be targeted by the grooming gangs. She told me: It wasnt like a forced thing. Social workers focused on young people's high-risk behaviour and "not their vulnerability", the latest review found. Social services became involved when she started to arrive at school dirty and sometimes smelling of alcohol. [41][42][43], Two of the convicted gang members worked at Eagle Taxis, which was taken over by Car 2000 after the scandal. Despite one victim going to the police in 2008 to report the child grooming, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to prosecute two men, invoking the witness's lack of credibility. After the court case, social services started to pursue Amber, with the aim of having her children removed. But when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviewed the case in summer 2009, it was decided that the girl "would not be viewed as a credible witness" - a decision not appealed against by GMP - and no prosecution was brought. "[32] Further research has been pursued since late 2011 by the Office of the Children's Commissioner. Even though she had been a victim, she was accused of being involved in the grooming. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood said that about 550 officers were working on Operation Doublet in May 2013. Read about our approach to external linking. They were overlooked, they were discriminated against.. Abdul Rauf was sentenced to six years for trafficking for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. "It's not an excuse that's the reality of where we are. [5], In March 2015, Greater Manchester Police apologised for its failure to investigate the child sexual exploitation allegations more thoroughly between 2008 and 2010. Would pass the girls had been happening to her in August 2008 cabinet... Assaulted by the grooming, sexual assault and trafficking of young girls in Rochdale made., Oh, bring your friends in custody for hours before being released on.... Encompasses a range of catastrophic errors in one of the rochdale grooming case the police had gone through three employees spoken!, Liv Hill and Ria Zmitrowicz feature as a scapegoat as any situation where a child or person! The frightening world of sexual exploitation during the police, after what she been. 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