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. [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. "I tried to say no in a nice way, but he wasn't having it.". Five of the girls had "clearly" needed help and intervention by safeguarding agencies before the abuse began, the report said. [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. She told me: So it didnt happen to anybody else. These involved the grooming and sexual exploitation of several girls, aged in their early teens. 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. Under the direct supervision of the Registered Nurse the GI Technician provides care to all patients, including pediatrics, adults and geriatrics by assisting the team during GI procedures. She gave the police a list, at an early stage of Operation Span, with nicknames, telephone numbers and other details relating to offenders. Rochdale grooming gang members could be deported to Pakistan; . Some studies suggest an overrepresentation of black and Asian offenders relative to the demographics of national populations. Her evidence helped put abusers behind bars, yet Amber was vilified by the authorities and says her torment will never end. Operation Span was the investigation launched in December 2009 into allegations made against the individuals who were convicted in 2012, and others. She walked out, refusing to go along with this decision, and was forbidden from speaking to Amber. The dramatisation tells the story of three children who were victims in the scandal and stars Maxine Peake as sexual health worker Sara, who recorded and reported cases of child abuse for years. Sun Online looks at the group from Rochdale and Oldham, who exploited girls as young as 1 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.. [2] One 13-year-old victim had an abortion after becoming pregnant. Behind the scenes, however, there was consternation. Oliver had been headhunted to join the grooming gangs case as detective and victim liaison officer in 2010 because of her experience working with vulnerable victims. Grooming victim: "What they did to me was evil. It was outrageous. 'We are not going to stop' - Mikel Arteta sends Man City title message after Arsenal win, Manchester City now trail Arsenal by five points in the Premier League table after the Gunners beat Everton 4-0 on Wednesday night, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp learns Real Madrid lesson ahead of Manchester United clash, Liverpool beat Wolves in the Premier League on Wednesday and face Man United this weekend, West Ham manager David Moyes delivers bullish verdict on FA Cup defeat to Manchester United. [17], Victims were physically assaulted and raped by as many as five men at a time,[1] or obliged to have sex with "several men in a day, several times a week". "[32] Further research has been pursued since late 2011 by the Office of the Children's Commissioner. "The biggest issue to come out of this report is that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were effectively discriminating against poor, white, working-class girls, so that's not about a failure to spot abuse, that is about actively ignoring abuse that was going on when it was brought to their attention," he said. The mayor's office. [8] The victims, plied with drugs and alcohol, were passed around friends and family,[18] and taken to various locations in the north of England, including Rochdale, Oldham, Nelson, Bradford and Leeds. [1][2], The oldest person to be convicted, Shabir Ahmed,[16] was for a while the main trafficker of the victims. 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. UK News US News World News Weird News Real Life More Hopeful TeamDogs In Your Area. The victims were coerced and bribed into keeping quiet about the abuse by a combination of alcohol and drugs, food, small sums of money and other gifts. A much bigger case had been built but, importantly, he simply believed his star witness. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. It was then she told police for the first time what was going on. Calls to deport 'appalling' grooming trio, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Not just once - but repeatedly - by a gang of men who would ply her with vodka and threaten her with violence unless she succumbed to horrific abuse. [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. Read about our approach to external linking. In May 2012, nine men from Rochdale were convicted and jailed for grooming girls with alcohol, drugs and gifts before forcing them to have sex with multiple men. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood said that about 550 officers were working on Operation Doublet in May 2013. [36], In a BBC documentary investigating grooming young girls for sex by some Pakistani men, Imam Irfan Chishti from the Rochdale Council of Mosques deplored the practice, saying it was "very shocking to see fellow British Muslims brought to court for this kind of horrific offence. Last May. [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. Ive got a box in the back of my head, and I just put it all in there and its locked away.. Taxi drivers with nick-names like Car Zero and Master Aziz, a pillar of Rochdale's Pakistani community known as Tiger and a Muslim preacher were . "[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. "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. 2023 BBC. They werent bothered when youre from a shit home. Read about our approach to external linking. They dont give a fuck when youre not from a wealthy background.. 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. 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. "He asked me to come upstairs and I didn't really think anything of it," she explained. I think it's wrong that she be held back in this way.". 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. ", "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. Id been used. There was a "shocking" inability to protect seven vulnerable girls from sexual exploitation, a report into the Rochdale grooming case has said. Five years later she won an apology and compensation from social services. A significant proportion of cases were labelled as no further action needed and the leadership team were not interested in childrens social care. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [8], Some gang members told the court the girls were willing participants and happy having sex with the men. I shouldve been helped, not punished.. It resulted in the conviction of nine men for offences including rape and human. 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. 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. Kabeer Hassan was sentenced to nine years for rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. [1][8] Most of the men were married and well-respected within their community. It made me sick to my stomach. [1] One 13-year-old victim recounted that, after being forced to have sex in exchange for vodka, her abuser immediately raped her again and gave her 40 to not say anything about the incident. Read about our approach to external linking. A new investigation, dubbed Operation Span, was launched. Attempts by Rochdale Crisis Intervention Team co-ordinator for the NHS, Sara Rowbotham, to alert police and authorities to "patterns of sexual abuse" were ignored. No further action was taken against Amber, but it would be another two years before the CPS agreed that she should be treated as a victim and witness rather than a suspect. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Some of the men involved were arrested, tried and found guilty. Molly Windsor, Liv Hill and Ria Zmitrowicz feature as a trio of girls drawn into the frightening world of sexual exploitation. 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. May stated the revocations were "conducive to the public good". 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. While GMP has finally settled the claim, which includes the personal apology from the chief constable, the DPP has so far resisted. [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. I asked Amber what gave her the strength to give evidence to the police, after what she had gone through. 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. We were making referrals from 2004, very explicit referrals, referrals which absolutely highlighted for protective services that young people were incredibly vulnerable, she said. The inspector concluded the abuse could have stopped if the authorities had stepped in sooner. He said the investigation was at "an extremely sensitive stage" and street grooming was the force's top priority, "a bigger priority than gun crime". [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". One father called Children's Social Care (CSC) up to 50 times, reporting his daughter's "uncontrollable drinking, running away and difficult behaviour". [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. It was not until summer 2011 that Nazir Afzal, the new regional head of the CPS, reversed the decision not to prosecute. Shed been the victim of abuse from the age of 14. "Eventually I moved out of the area as I couldn't stay there anymore.". One 13-year-old victim became pregnant and had an abortion. Nine men were convicted of being part of the child sexual exploitation ring, Nazir Afzal regrets that the CPS dropped the original grooming case, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Urgent police appeal to locate missing teenage girl not seen for over 24 hours, Taylor is thought to have links across south Manchester, "I had to look twice": Confusion as little white robot seen driving along street in Sale, "It made me laugh when it waited patiently to cross the road", Police given more time to question Constance Marten and Mark Gordon as remains found, A 36-hour extension to the pair's detention has been granted by a court, The One Show interview with Idris Elba thrown into chaos as host Alex Jones mocks show blunders, Their chat on the teatime chat show didn't run smoothly, Manchester United player ratings vs West Ham as Casemiro and Alejandro Garnacho good. Address: CA Torrance 4101 Torrance Blvd. Sir Peter Fahy said some girls 'don't want to make a complaint because that means they go into the criminal justice system'. [19] 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. 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. There were fears that press involvement would frighten the girls away. The review recommended the Greater Manchester Police establish a monitoring system and commit to maintaining a child sexual exploitation team. ", 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. have fuelled fight-wing groups opposing multiculturalism and immigration. "I'm nearly 30 years old, this started when I was 12," she says. [52], In December 2013, the case review by Rochdale County was leaked, which highlighted findings from an internal police investigation. ", 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. After the court case, social services started to pursue Amber, with the aim of having her children removed. Finally, she has been exonerated. [32] The inquiry issued its final report in November 2013. "At first I thought it was great because nothing sexual had happened, I thought I could just get all of this stuff for free.". The report came on the same day five men were jailed for grooming a teenage girl. Department: 7014 LCMT CASE MGMT. 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. Ten months after her case had been dropped, police decided to revisit the case after more complaints emerged. You have only got my kind here. "We have to remember that in most of those cases, the girls themselves did not regard themselves as victims and were not willing to make complaints and that is still the situation now," he said. [32], Wendy Shepherd, child sexual exploitation project manager for Barnardo's in the north of England, said that since she started working with the organisation, there has been "a shift from the men selling children in ones or twos to something that is much more organised in groups and networks. 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. One night in 2006, when she was just 14, a man became aggressive after she refused to have sex with him. I'm only a kid - why is it always me? 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. [44], One study suggested that the British media's portrayal of South Asian men as perpetrators of sexual violence against white victims is an example of a moral panic. 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. I felt sick, got upset nothing never no one from police came to me to explain why I was no longer going to court. Without Ambers initial evidence there might never have been a trial at all. 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". It's now 10 years since the start of the police investigation that led to the Rochdale grooming trial. Nine men have been convicted of sexually exploiting young girls in Greater Manchester. She was being shared around paedophiles across the north of England. [9] The men were aged between 24-59 and all knew each other. The abuse took place in Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, in the early 2000s. At best this was distracting for leaders and influenced the areas that resources were focused on". Torrance, CA. I think it was because they were afraid of being called racist. 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. 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". Full-Time. On 9 May 2012, the Rochdale grooming trial reached its conclusion. Area as I could n't stay there anymore. `` five men were married and well-respected within their.. 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Fahy said some girls 'do n't want to make a complaint because that means they go the... Constable Steve Heywood said that about 550 officers were working on Operation in! Overrepresentation of black and Asian offenders relative to the demographics of national populations More Hopeful TeamDogs in Your.., importantly, he simply believed his star witness grooming and sexual exploitation team court the had! For offences including rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children was evil stated the revocations ``! The Greater Manchester police establish a monitoring system and commit to maintaining a child sexual exploitation moved of.