[13], As a result of the CPS dropping the case, the police halted their investigation, which was resumed when a second girl made complaints of a similar nature in December 2009. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. said in its review into child sexual exploitation after the trial. *To protect her identity the victim's name has been changed. 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. 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. "Why have I still got a criminal record? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. ", 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. 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 three-part series tells the story of the victims of an infamous child grooming and sex trafficking scandal in Rochdale, and continues on Wednesday night. Rochdale grooming case: what really happened? 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). "[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". Shabir Ahmed received the longest sentence, 19 years for rape, aiding and abetting a rape, sexual assault, trafficking for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. "[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. But when she was just 12, she was groomed and sexually abused by gangs of adult men. 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. 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? Something went wrong, please try again later. The period during the buildup to the trial of the men accused of being part of the grooming gang, was dark for Amber. 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. [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. 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. 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. Adil Khan was sentenced to eight years for the same offences. Read about our approach to external linking. Although police interviewed a total of 56 men on suspicion of abuse, only a handful were tried. "I know they believed me, they said to me at the end that something should have been done.". That nightmare should have ended with the arrest and trial of the perpetrators, but instead the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and even social services treated her not as a victim but as a perpetrator. 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. 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. 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. "This is something I feel very strongly about," she says. She walked out, refusing to go along with this decision, and was forbidden from speaking to Amber. Her evidence helped put abusers behind bars, yet Amber was vilified by the authorities and says her torment will never end. 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. A significant proportion of cases were labelled as no further action needed and the leadership team were not interested in childrens social care. "[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." One of their victims tells her story. 2023 BBC. [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. The BBC drama Three Girls was based on the Rochdale child sexual abuse scandal. Amber was understandably reluctant to trust the police. 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. [2] One 13-year-old victim had an abortion after becoming pregnant. But the situation changed and she was raped by one of the men. Were told 84% of grooming gangs are Asian. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Social services became involved when she started to arrive at school dirty and sometimes smelling of alcohol. I was like, 'why are you not listening? "[The police] messed up, not me. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. [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. You have only got my kind here. [1][2], The oldest person to be convicted, Shabir Ahmed,[16] was for a while the main trafficker of the victims. [I] cant remember exactly what they said, but it was something along the lines of being a madam, she recalled. 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". One 13-year-old victim became pregnant and had an abortion. The mayor's office. [32], Hilary Willmer, representing a Leeds-based support group for parents of sexually exploited girls, the Coalition for the Removal of Pimping (Crop), was quoted as saying "The vast majority [of] perpetrators are Pakistani Asians",[35] with sources inside Crop claiming a percentage as high as 80 per cent although, The Independent said that "Kurdish, Romanian and Albanian gangs were also involved". She still has a scar on her arm and as far as we know, the man who abused her was never investigated. Finally, after a gruelling 18 months and several hearings, the judge threw the case out. I'm only a kid - why is it always me? A June 2008 report to Rochdale safeguarding children board had identified 50 children at risk of sexual exploitation. Numerous opportunities to intervene were missed and only two girls received child protection planning, the report said. Rochdale grooming gang members could be deported to Pakistan; . [24], The case raised a serious debate about whether the crimes were racially motivated. [25], The findings have been questioned by researchers Ella Cockbain and Helen Brayley, from whose work for the UCL Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science The Times report had drawn much of its evidence. The inspector concluded the abuse could have stopped if the authorities had stepped in sooner. had learned about the investigation but after approaching GMP we were told to hold off until the victims had been spoken to. Greater Manchester Police said officers are becoming want to make sure Payton is 'safe and well'. [28], Ann Cryer, Labour MP for Keighley, recalled in a BBC documentary filmed in 2012 that she had worked with the families of the victims involved, and had been "round at the police station virtually every week" and was "begging" both the police and social services to do something. "I tried to say no in a nice way, but he wasn't having it.". 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. 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. 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. "Any criminal convictions that [Daisy] has, have been as a direct consequence of the abuse and exploitation. [31], In late 2011, the Office of the Children's Commissioner began a two-year long inquiry into child sexual exploitation by street gangs. 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. What about them? The gang of nine men received jail sentences of between four and 19 years from a judge who said they treated their victims as though they were worthless and beyond any respect. Who were the men in the Rochdale grooming gang and what happened to them? Shed been the victim of abuse from the age of 14. Five of the girls had "clearly" needed help and intervention by safeguarding agencies before the abuse began, the report said. UK News US News World News Weird News Real Life More Hopeful TeamDogs In Your Area. Abdul Aziz received a similar sentence: nine years (concurrently) for trafficking for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. They contend that clouding the issue by calling them "Asians" is unfair towards other groups and detrimental to a frank discussion. After a troubled upbringing, Amber had been placed on the child protection register as being at risk of sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. "Most people would say it is crazy that there are 17 or 18 different agencies in a place like Rochdale in charge of children," he said. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. "I was scared telling them, because I didn't know what the consequences would be from the men. 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. The probe began after a local teenager was arrested for smashing up a cabinet at the Balti . Parents felt agencies "failed to work together", did not listen or keep them informed. These involved the grooming and sexual exploitation of several girls, aged in their early teens. "[54], One of the seven officers retired without any sanctions being taken, even though his misconduct was found to have warranted disciplinary action.