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'. "[45], In May 2017, the BBC broadcast Three Girls, a miniseries about the case. But in court, she was portrayed by the prosecution and defence as an assistant pimp. 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. "I tried to say no in a nice way, but he wasn't having it.". Who were the men in the Rochdale grooming gang and what happened to them? ", "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. Read about our approach to external linking. The court heard how the men - eight of Pakistani origin and one from Afghanistan - gave their victims drink and drugs before passing them round for sex. Rochdale grooming scandal Nine men who abused girls as young as 13 were convicted over a child sex grooming ring, guilty of 21 counts of sexual abuse over a two-year period. 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. He continued: "GMP could and should have done much more to protect you and we let you down.". Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Name already in use - Github NINE men who ran the Rochdale child sex abuse ring were eventually jailed for a string of offences in 2012. They were overlooked, they were discriminated against.. I agreed to help the police to stop it happening to others, Amber wrote to Oliver in the midst of her campaign for justice. Rochdale child sex abuse ring - Wikipedia Mr Watson told the women it was "a matter of profound personal regret that your childhood was so cruelly impacted by the dreadful experiences which you endured". 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. Rochdale grooming gang members to be deported to Pakistan | Rochdale 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. Read about our approach to external linking. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. I'm a Rotherham grooming gangs survivor - here's how I knew 'faker The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. He said the actions of criminals who thought "white teenage girls are worthless and can be abused" were "bringing shame on our community. Police said the victims were from chaotic, council estate backgrounds and as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang. THE widespread sexual assault and grooming of girls in the town of Rochdale was a case which shocked the country and prompted major criticism of the authorities. [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]. 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. [7] Actress Lesley Sharp played the police detective Margaret Oliver in the series. VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. Id been used. You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, Grooming gang member in deportation plea over son, Grooming gang member complains over treatment, Higher Broughton: Stabbing outside McDonalds leaving boy injured, BREAKING: Boy, 15, in a serious condition after stabbing outside McDonalds, Firefighters tackle waste fire in Milnrow after 'explosion', Delays on M62 Westbound near Birchwood after vehicle overturned, Bolton: Five charged on suspicion of drug crimes, Met Office snow and weather forecast for where you live in Greater Manchester, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Just before the due date of her second baby, she was called to the family court, where an application was made to remove both children on the grounds that Amber was an abuser and a danger to children. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The Rochdale child sex abuse ring involved underage teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. 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'. 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. Exact date yellow weather warning for snow and ice forecast to hit UK - will you be affected? What happened to the Rochdale child sex abuse ring? - The Sun 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. She plans to become a social worker, partly due to the ordeal she suffered while still a vulnerable young girl. Kabeer Hassan was sentenced to nine years for rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. 17 miles | Rochdale, Manchester Features: Front+Back Dual cover,360 protection. PDF Hassan others sentencing remarks - 11 May 2012 - Judiciary Nazir Afzal, the newly-appointed chief crown prosecutor for the north west, reversed the decision not to prosecute the two who had been arrested and eventually authorised the charging of ten men in June 2011. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Rochdale groomer facing deportation tells tribunal 'we have not It took police 11 months to compile a file of evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after interviewing the young victim from the takeaway on four separate occasions. While GMP has finally settled the claim, which includes the personal apology from the chief constable, the DPP has so far resisted. Social services became involved when she started to arrive at school dirty and sometimes smelling of alcohol. They were In subsequent cases, the racial and religious background of perpetrators have been exploited by some - but there have also been accusations that authorities were slow to act on concerns for fear of being dubbed racist. It was absolute disrespect that vulnerable young people did not have a voice. Victor Farrant 73. Some studies suggest an overrepresentation of black and Asian offenders relative to the demographics of national populations. You have only got my kind here. The second woman was 14 when the abuse began. Three trials were conducted where jurors were told of how these men preyed specifically on young girls under the age of 16 from vulnerable backgrounds. Find Jobs. It was reported he would be deported back to Pakistan following the conclusion of his sentence. "It's not a normal relationship when your boyfriend is getting you to sleep with all his friends for money.". [2] One 13-year-old victim had an abortion after becoming pregnant. Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal - Wikipedia Abdul Aziz, then 41 and a married dad-of-three, of Rochdale, was convicted of trafficking for sexual exploitation and received a nine year sentence. "[35] By May 2012, according to The Independent, Crop had "gone suddenly silent" concerning the percentage of abusers of Asian origin who had come to the organisation's attention: Willmer explained to the paper: "We've been accused of being a cover for the BNP". He took his victim to flats in Rochdale where she was plied with vodka and drugs and coerced into sex with gangs of men in return for payment to him. Khan told the hearing: "I have a question for the Home Secretary, whether Mr Aziz was an angel and I am a devil?". Two men who were part of the notorious Rochdale grooming gang have lost an appeal against deportation back to Pakistan following a seven-year legal . 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. "He then was saying all the things he had bought for me, and he wanted something back for it. ", "Lesley Sharp: 'What happened to the girls in Rochdale is never far from my mind', "British-Pakistani researchers say grooming gangs are 84% Asian", Failing victims, fuelling hate: challenging the harms of the 'Muslim grooming gangs' narrative. 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. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood said that about 550 officers were working on Operation Doublet in May 2013. 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. As a result of police failures to respond to evidence, the men who had groomed the three children were able to continue . [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? Some of you acted as you did to satiate your lust, some of you to make money, all of you treated them as though they were worthless and beyond respect.. 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. But once the CPS advised the GMP that she was no longer seen as a suspect, she was persuaded by Oliver to begin a series of video interviews and ID parades. Two of the women's cases formed the basis of the BBC drama Three Girls. Britain's 'WORST EVER' grooming gang: '1,000 girls raped, beaten & even I think it was because they were afraid of being called racist. The report also showed that more than 3,000 children under the age of 18 were reported missing in Greater Manchester in 2014. Khan got a 13-year-old girl pregnant, but denied he was the father, then met another girl, 15, and trafficked her to others using violence when she complained. 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. 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. Abdul Aziz received a similar sentence: nine years (concurrently) for trafficking for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. A CPS spokesman said it could not comment in the meantime. Finally, officers did not challenge a Crown Prosecution Service decision not to prosecute. [9] The men were aged between 24-59 and all knew each other. Read about our approach to external linking. Starmer's Shambolic CPS - Medium Serious Case Review (SCR) Rochdale. - Page 10 Aziz was jailed for nine years in 2012, for conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child by penetrative sex and trafficking for sexual exploitation a 15-year-old girl. [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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. [41][42][43], Two of the convicted gang members worked at Eagle Taxis, which was taken over by Car 2000 after the scandal. 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 (GMP). After the trials conclusion, there were public apologies from the police, the council and prosecutors for failing the victims. Maggie spent six months speaking to the victims from Rochdale and persuaded them to give evidence. 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. 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". [5] The girls were mainly White British. The BBC drama Three Girls was based on the Rochdale child sexual abuse scandal. After having been appointed head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in November 2008, Sir Keir's half decade in the position oversaw cases as large and polarising as the Rochdale grooming . Taxi driver Abdul Qayyum, 44, of Rochdale, - known by the name "Tiger" - was jailed for five years. The perpetrators would pass the girls to their friends, often to settle a debt. Social media companies assisting MTU in wake of cyber attack, High Court hears,In an update to the court the judge was told that 6GB of data taken from MTU's IT system had been made available for publication by the hackers. Operation Span was the investigation launched in December 2009 into allegations made against the individuals who were convicted in 2012, and others. Silicone in Blackburn, Lancashire - Gumtree Paul Wilson, 21, admitted 47 charges including rape and grooming and must serve at least 15 years of a life term. [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. It was not until summer 2011 that Nazir Afzal, the new regional head of the CPS, reversed the decision not to prosecute. The networks of men come from different backgrounds: in the North and Midlands many have been British Asians; in Devon it was white men; in Bath and Bristol, Afro-Caribbeans; in London, all ethnic mixes, whites, Iraqis, Kurds, Afghans, Somalis". The ID parades were particularly gruelling for Amber, who did 12 in one day alone, correctly identifying 10 of her abusers. 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. Fits all sizes comfortably. How the Rochdale grooming case exposed British prejudice 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. . 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. 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). To keep up with Rochdale news sign up to the MyRochdale newsletter here. She later gave police the names or nicknames of 45 males who abused her or other children. [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. He said that of convictions involving child sexual exploitation, 87% were of British Pakistani men and it was a significant problem for that community. 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. Details. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) investigated Kabeer Hassan and another man, aged 59. Because she was not involved in the trial, and therefore did not give evidence, she had no opportunity to defend herself. Abdul Rauf reportedly asked a 15-year-victim if she had any younger friends and would drive some of the girls to other men who would use them for sex. "At first I thought it was great because nothing sexual had happened, I thought I could just get all of this stuff for free.". Not one charged never, why? "At first I felt really bad, dirty and ashamed. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? After a while, the girl was being driven to different houses or flats where there would be other men waiting. Eight years later, following a second police investigation, nine men were convicted of sexual exploitation. The men from Rochdale and Oldham were found guilty of offences including rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. Thin, fits your phone perfectly and provides maximum protection with slim appearance and ligh 5 10 days ago 2 Carlube silicone spray 13 miles | Bolton, Manchester I didnt want other people to feel how I felt. Her courage and Olivers support resulted in a database of abusers whom she identified by names, car registrations, telephone numbers and addresses. When a local teenager was caught smashing up a glass chiller at the Balti House takeaway in Heywood in August 2008, police dismissed it as a simple act of vandalism. On one occasion, she was picked up by police on the moors, miles outside Manchester, and told officers she told a man she did not want to sleep with him and he had taken her coat, thrown orange juice over her, and left her to walk home with no socks or shoes on. How 'deluded' Putin thought Ukraine invasion would break up Nato & have West bowing down to Russia, leaked docs show, Man had sex with his wife on bollard after fuming neighbour placed it in cul-de-sac in protest during parking row, 'Bubbly' nightclub worker, 31, killed after her Audi crashed into a bridge on her way home from work, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Since being released from jail, the men have fought a long legal battle against deportation, mounting multiple legal challenges and appeals, spanning several years. After the court case, social services started to pursue Amber, with the aim of having her children removed. "I feel relieved that finally, after an all-consuming 10-year battle, GMP have at last acknowledged their horrific treatment of these three victims was wrong, even inhumane," she said. PDF Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation - GOV.UK How close to the terrible truth was BBC's Three Girls? Liverpool Crown Court heard the group plied five victims with drink and drugs and "passed them around" for sex. Lawyers for the victims - one who was aged 14 and two who were just 12 at the time of the abuse - successfully argued their human rights were breached by the force failing to protect them. A key member of the team was Detective Constable Maggie Oliver whose task was to convince the victims to speak to the police. The men led the girls to believe they were in relationships with some of them, and it was normal to have sex. She told me: It wasnt like a forced thing. Now they werent prepared to do that. "[37][38] Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, accused elders of the Pakistani community of "burying their heads in the sand" on the matter of sexual grooming. [2], The victims, vulnerable teenagers from deprived, dysfunctional backgrounds, were targeted in "honeypot locations" where young people congregated, such as takeaway food shops. 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". "I felt let down," she said. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? Although a court order prevented her being named, everyone in her local community knew who she was. Team Management: Establish & manage globally distributed, co-located, virtual, cross-functional, high performing self-organizing teams leveraging onsite-offshore delivery models. Behind the scenes, however, there was consternation. One of their victims tells her story. After a troubled upbringing, Amber had been placed on the child protection register as being at risk of sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. Ten months after her case had been dropped, police decided to revisit the case after more complaints emerged. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. "Eventually I moved out of the area as I couldn't stay there anymore.". Rochdale grooming gang members could be deported after judges uphold ruling to strip them of British citizenship Khan, who also trafficked a 15-year-old girl to others, using violence when she. There was a complete lack of understanding of the world in which they existed. In June 2017 it was revealed that the members of the Rochdale gang facing deportation will receive legal aid to fight attempts to send them back to Pakistan, prompting widespread public anger. "[30], Tim Loughton, the Minister for Children and Families, said that while there was no evidence that ethnic communities condoned child sexual abuse, he was concerned that some had been slow to report it to the police, and urged police and social workers not to allow "political correctness around ethnicity" to hinder their work to apprehend such criminals. It was only when she met Oliver in early 2012 that things started to change. Rochdale grooming scandal - Manchester Evening News Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? It was then she told police for the first time what was going on. The victims, many of whom were from difficult backgrounds and therefore particularly vulnerable, were plied with drugs, alcohol and fast food, and then taken to chill houses across the north of England to be abused. [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." The women, who have been backed by lawyers from the Centre for Women's Justice charity, had brought a legal claim against the force. Cryer said, "Neither the police nor social services would touch those cases. An External Reference Group, consisting of independent experts on child sexual exploitation . She told me: So it didnt happen to anybody else. Press Release: Rochdale Grooming Survivors Win Historic Victory Stephen Watson, chief constable of Greater Manchester police, made a personal apology to three of the Rochdale victims. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Khan and Rauf claim deportation would interfere with their human rights. But their nightmare was only just beginning . She said that seven officers had been served with misconduct notices, but no further disciplinary action would be taken against them. 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. On one occasion he ordered a girl aged 15 to have sex with Kabeer Hassan, as a "treat" for his birthday Hassan then raped the girl. Rochdale grooming case: Victim's story - BBC News Finally, after a gruelling 18 months and several hearings, the judge threw the case out. have fuelled fight-wing groups opposing multiculturalism and immigration. Police drove her home and told her they could not do anything because they did not have the man's name. The vile group exploited girls as young as 13 and were initially given sentences ranging from four to 19 years. Rochdale grooming gang: Wrong to deport members, tribunal told Child sexual exploitation has been uncovered in towns, cities and counties all over the country and it affects both girls and boys from all backgrounds. She says she was never informed by police either that she was no longer being treated as a victim, or that none of those she alleged to be her abusers was to be prosecuted for her abuse. Research has found that group-based child sexual exploitation offenders are most commonly white. Rochdale grooming case - what really happened? This eventually led to the successful prosecution of nine men for offences included rape, trafficking girls for sex and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. Handout pictures released by Greater Manchester police in 2012 show eight of nine men convicted in connection with the child sexual exploitation ring. In Rochdale, which is home to approximately 20,000 people of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin, far-right activists spied an opportunity. But she added: "They're just brainwashing you so you think you love them so you do what they say. . Rochdale grooming gang members Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf lose I never thought that they would do what they did to me, because you don't think that would happen.".
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