etween 2008 and 2010, a child abuse ring that came to be known as part of the grooming gang phenomenon operated in Rochdale. "Why have I still got a criminal record? Read about our approach to external linking. Read about our approach to external linking. "I know they believed me, they said to me at the end that something should have been done.". Sun Online looks at the group from Rochdale and Oldham, who exploited girls as young as 1 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. We were making referrals from 2004, very explicit referrals, referrals which absolutely highlighted for protective services that young people were incredibly vulnerable, she said. "But people can feel some sense of reassurance that we are now bringing more cases to court.". She plans to become a social worker, partly due to the ordeal she suffered while still a vulnerable young girl. Why has nothing happened to these men? "That can't make sense.". This resulted in Greater Manchester Police launching Operation Doublet to investigate further claims of abuse with 19 men so far being convicted. Ten months after her case had been dropped, police decided to revisit the case after more complaints emerged. Even when the authorities did recognise the problem, their slow reaction allowed the abusers to carry on exploiting their victims for years. One of their victims tells her story. "Eventually I moved out of the area as I couldn't stay there anymore.". 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. She later went on to positively identify a number of offenders, which enabled charges to be brought against them all. "[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. A key member of the team was Detective Constable Maggie Oliver whose task was to convince the victims to speak to the police. 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. "Our understanding [of these crimes] at the time wasn't as developed and our practice wasn't as improved as it is today. He shouted in court, "Where are the white people? She told me: Police werent arsed with us, really. [I] cant remember exactly what they said, but it was something along the lines of being a madam, she recalled. ", 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. ", "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. [34], A report by The Times on 5 January 2011, related to convictions for child sex grooming in the North and Midlands. To keep up with Rochdale news sign up to the MyRochdale newsletter here. In response to Ambers claim that it was wrong to name her on the indictment, it says it was both legally and tactically the correct course to take. More arrests, and more . Who were the men in the Rochdale grooming gang and what happened to them? UK News US News World News Weird News Real Life More Hopeful TeamDogs In Your Area. Numerous opportunities to intervene were missed and only two girls received child protection planning, the report said. While GMP has finally settled the claim, which includes the personal apology from the chief constable, the DPP has so far resisted. Social workers told him she was "a child prostitute", and he accepted this "because he did not know that it was wrong", the review said. Police and social workers failed the girls who were "passed around for sex" by a gang of men, it said. 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. 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 were found guilty and sentenced to a total of 77 years in prison. Last month we met Daisy*, who found herself at the centre of the scandal all those years ago. 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'. In this case the judge did indicate his belief that the Rochdale gang had deliberately sought victims outside their own community. The Rochdale child sex abuse ring involved underage teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. "What they did to me was evil, they ripped away my dignity, my self-esteem," she said. They werent bothered when youre from a shit home. "I tried to say no in a nice way, but he wasn't having it.". 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". Charity Victim Support's chief executive Javed Khan said: "It is utterly unacceptable that, instead of protecting these vulnerable young victims from sexual exploitation, the authorities judged, blamed and disbelieved them and their families and, in doing so, exposed these victims to further abuse. [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. Also cited were a lack of managerial oversight in 2008 and 2009 and lack of resources and managerial support for the investigations despite formal requests. Speaking to BBC Five Live, Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester, denied his officers had failed to investigate allegations of rape made by underage girls before a decision was taken not to prosecute in 2008. Speaking at the conclusion of a 10-week trial at Liverpool Crown. 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. "Even though I was kicking and screaming in the back [of the police van] saying 'he's hit me or he's raped me', I was always the one that got arrested. They ripped away all my dignity". [7] Actress Lesley Sharp played the police detective Margaret Oliver in the series. A new investigation, dubbed Operation Span, was launched. I push thoughts about the abuse out of my head. Known as the "Rochdale Grooming" case, over 1400 vulnerable children were systematically abused by gangs of men between 2005 and 2013. [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." A much bigger case had been built but, importantly, he simply believed his star witness. But the consequences of what happened to her are still preventing her from moving on with her life. Running though them is repeated mentions of the fact that many in authority believed that the girls had brought the abuse on themselves. My name has been dragged through the mud. Rochdale grooming case: what really happened? She specifically spoke of her abuse at the hands of two members of the gang who would later be jailed four years. Nine men were convicted, of whom eight were of British Pakistani origin and one was an Afghan asylum-seeker. 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. 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. [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? [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. She noted that white male predators on the street tend to work alone. Nothing happened. The scandal shocked the nation - and helped change the way the criminal justice system treats victims of grooming. "[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". 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. After the trials conclusion, there were public apologies from the police, the council and prosecutors for failing the victims. Molly Windsor, Liv Hill and Ria Zmitrowicz feature as a trio of girls drawn into the frightening world of sexual exploitation. She still has a scar on her arm and as far as we know, the man who abused her was never investigated. had learned about the investigation but after approaching GMP we were told to hold off until the victims had been spoken to. The convictions she received as a teen continue to hold her back to this day. "[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". 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. NINE men who ran the Rochdale child sex abuse ring were eventually jailed for a string of offences in 2012. "[3], Sayeeda Warsi, co-chairperson of the Conservative Party, in an interview with the Evening Standard, said "You can only start solving a problem if you acknowledge it first," and added, "This small minority who see women as second class citizens, and white women probably as third class citizens, are to be spoken out against." Her evidence helped put abusers behind bars, yet Amber was vilified by the authorities and says her torment will never end. She has forced the police and social services to apologise to her for their behaviour. "At first I thought it was great because nothing sexual had happened, I thought I could just get all of this stuff for free.". ", "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. "[32] Further research has been pursued since late 2011 by the Office of the Children's Commissioner. Research has found that group-based child sexual exploitation offenders are most commonly white. Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk (Labour) said agencies had actively ignored the abuse and that "social services believed these girls were making lifestyle choices". News. Grooming victim: "What they did to me was evil. [1][8] Most of the men were married and well-respected within their community. Abdul Aziz received a similar sentence: nine years (concurrently) for trafficking for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. There was a complete lack of understanding of the world in which they existed. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. [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. 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 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. The amounts listed are the base pay range; additional compensation may be available for this role, such as shift differentials, standby/on-call, overtime, premiums, extra shift incentives, or bonus opportunities. She's now in her late 20s. In relation to historical failures, he apologised to Daisy. [2], The victims, vulnerable teenagers from deprived, dysfunctional backgrounds, were targeted in "honeypot locations" where young people congregated, such as takeaway food shops. [31], In late 2011, the Office of the Children's Commissioner began a two-year long inquiry into child sexual exploitation by street gangs. I never thought that they would do what they did to me, because you don't think that would happen.". 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. "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.". Later, Rochdale sexual health worker Sara Rowbotham told an inquiry that all the girls had been treated appallingly by protective services. "I'm nearly 30 years old, this started when I was 12," she says. Career Track: Leadership. 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. Another night - this time in 2007 - Daisy says she was burnt with a heated metal spoon as punishment for refusing to have sex with a man at a house party. Nine men from Rochdale and Oldham were sentenced for up to 19 years in prison in May 2012 after being convicted of offences including rape. 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. 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