Convicted rapist who murdered one woman and attempted to murder another. Between 2008 and 2010, a child abuse ring that came to be known as part of the grooming gang phenomenon operated in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Khan, Rauf and Aziz were convicted of conspiracy and trafficking for sexual exploitation charges. [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. Cockbain and Brayley expressed concern that "findings were being overextended from a small, geographically concentrated sample to characterise an entire crime type". Nine men were convicted of being part of the child sexual exploitation ring, Nazir Afzal regrets that the CPS dropped the original grooming case, Harry: I always felt different to rest of family, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer. Exact date yellow weather warning for snow and ice forecast to hit UK - will you be affected? Two members of a Rochdale sex grooming gang have lost their long-running appeal against being deported to Pakistan. In this case the judge did indicate his belief that the Rochdale gang had deliberately sought victims outside their own community. My name has been dragged through the mud. Victor Farrant 73. And more than that, she was among a band of white girls who were being specifically targeted by a gang of largely Pakistani-heritage men because, as the trial judge would later acknowledge, the mens victims were not of your community or religion. Five years later she won an apology and compensation from social services. anyone coming from abroad was required to quarantine for 14 days. 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. The abuse of minor female children that occurred in 2008 and 2009 centred around two takeaways in Heywood near Rochdale. In October 2010 the M.E.N. But wheres the evidence? Ten months after her case had been dropped, police decided to revisit the case after more complaints emerged. The case is another example of the worrying number of girls who . 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'. Their trial heard how young girls were plied with alcohol and drugs and gang-raped in rooms above takeaway shops, and were ferried to different flats in taxis where further abuse took place, sometimes with cash changing hands. She was later forced into prostitution and at 13, became pregnant by one of the men, Adil Khan, and had an abortion. It was in nearby Oldham, in 2001, that tensions between white and Asian locals, exacerbated by neo-Nazi provocateurs, had boiled over into a riot. But not all. [citation needed], Twelve men were initially charged with sex trafficking and other offences including: rape, trafficking girls for sex and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. 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. One delivered a takeaway to my house a few weeks back, she tells me. "[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". After a troubled upbringing, Amber had been placed on the child protection register as being at risk of sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. "He then was saying all the things he had bought for me, and he wanted something back for it. Because she was not involved in the trial, and therefore did not give evidence, she had no opportunity to defend herself. It was only when she met Oliver in early 2012 that things started to change. The NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. 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. The report makes recommendations for each of the agencies involved: CAFCASS; Rochdale MBC Children's Services (Targeted services, Safeguarding Children Unit, and Schools); Connexions Rochdale; Early Break (Young People's Drug and Alcohol Service) ; Greater Manchester Police; Pennine Acute NHS Trust; Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust; RMBC Cryer said, "Neither the police nor social services would touch those cases. Sun Online looks at the group from Rochdale and Oldham, who exploited girls as young as 13. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood said that about 550 officers were working on Operation Doublet in May 2013. Show. Rauf, a father-of-five, trafficked a 15-year-old girl for sex, driving her to secluded areas to have sex with her in his taxi and ferry her to a flat in Rochdale where he and others had sex with her. Even when the authorities did recognise the problem, their slow reaction allowed the abusers to carry on exploiting their victims for years. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. But the situation changed and she was raped by one of the men. Pat Hurst, PA. October 26, 2022, 12:21 PM. Speaking at the conclusion of a 10-week trial at Liverpool Crown. 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. Find Jobs. Lawyers for Rauf said the law demands consistency of treatment and although Rauf could regain his Pakistani nationality simply by signing a form, he refuses to do so because he does not want to be deported. History was repeating itself, said Maggie. The vile group exploited girls as young as 13 and were initially given sentences ranging from four to 19 years. "We would get free alcohol and cigarettes, food, free taxis," she said. 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. Most of you were many years older than they were. Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. The trial at Liverpool Crown Court in 2012 heard five girls - aged between 13 and 15 - were given alcohol, food and money in return for sex but there were times when violence was used. Operation Span was the investigation launched in December 2009 into allegations made against the individuals who were convicted in 2012, and others. 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. The staggering detail of how the victims in the Rochdale grooming scandal were treated exposed a system that was failing some of the most vulnerable children in our society This video cannot be. It was said he came to the UK on a lorry in 2008 and claimed asylum and would be deported to Afghanistan at the end of his sentence. [2] One 13-year-old victim had an abortion after becoming pregnant. "I felt let down," she said. In a case with similarities to the grooming gang scandals of Rotherham and Rochdale, girls were groomed, drugged and raped by paedophiles and victims warn the crimes are still happening. 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. They talk about the choices they've made, their relationships, families, frustrations and hopes. Search more than 3,000 jobs in the charity sector. 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. She had worked on Operation Augusta in 2004 which examined the sexual abuse of white girls by Asian men in Hulme and Rusholme. he'd been at a trump rally in the states under lockdown rules. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. A decision has also yet to be made on whether two of the men, Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf, will be deported back to Pakistan after they appealed against an original ruling. They werent bothered when youre from a shit home. You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, Grooming gang member complains over treatment, Anger as child grooming gang member seen in town, Calls to deport 'appalling' grooming trio, Grooming trio to lose British citizenship, 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, China looks at reforms to deepen Xi's control, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Amber still sees those whom she says raped, beat and tortured her, out and about in Rochdale. which was prompted by high profile cases of sexual grooming in towns including Rochdale and Rotherham. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Greater Manchester Police have arrested a number of suspects involved in historical grooming gang crimes committed against women between 2002 and 2006 in Rochdale, England, one of the country's most notorious grooming gang epicentres. 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. She later gave police the names or nicknames of 45 males who abused her or other children. A chance to stop the gang was missed in 2008 and both the police and the CPS were forced to apologise for their failings. The book oers intimate details of the lives that they've never publicly revealed. 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 battle, immigration judges have ruled. 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. Grooming gangs were able to operate unchallenged, to do part of their work in public spaces, with the confidence of being unchallenged due to cultural sensitivities. The Sun Online looks at the scandal Maggie spent six months speaking to the victims from Rochdale and persuaded them to give evidence. Speaking at the conclusion of a 10-week trial at Liverpool Crown. Four members of the grooming gang including ringleader Shabir Ahmed face deportation to Pakistan. 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. 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. [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? "At first I felt really bad, dirty and ashamed. 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). She told me: It wasnt like a forced thing. In 2009, when Amber was 16, uniformed officers arrived at her mothers house, arrested her and took her to the police station. . 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. I push thoughts about the abuse out of my head. He shouted in court, "Where are the white people? 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'. 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'. We need to remember and learn from the mistakes of the past to ensure they are not repeated. [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. I trusted police that I would be helped this time. Police said the victims were from chaotic, council estate backgrounds and as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang. He said the investigation was looking at cases in Rochdale dating back to 2003. independent.co.uk. The harrowing real-life drama followed the stories of three teenaged girls who were abused at the hands of a Rochdale grooming gang It looked into the alleged grooming of children in council. She said that seven officers had been served with misconduct notices, but no further disciplinary action would be taken against them. 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.. Rauf and Khan only renounced their Pakistani citizenship in September of the same year after the Court of Appeal ruling. Were told 84% of grooming gangs are Asian. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Aziz had renounced his Pakistani citizenship on 13 July, 2018, six years after he was jailed, but just days before the Court of Appeal ruled he could be deprived of his UK citizenship. Her complaint was not taken seriously and she carried on being abused by the gang until December 2008 when she fell pregnant and moved away. For other inquiries, Contact Us. 2023 BBC. The men from Rochdale and Oldham were found guilty of offences including rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. The Rotherham case was one of several cases which prompted investigations looking into the claim that the majority of perpetrators from grooming gangs were British Pakistani; the first was by Quilliam in December 2017, which released a report entitled Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation - Dissecting Grooming Gangs, which claimed 84% of . "I was scared telling them, because I didn't know what the consequences would be from the men. It was outrageous. 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 she added: "They're just brainwashing you so you think you love them so you do what they say. [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". Then, shortly after the ID parade, Oliver was told that they were no longer going to use Ambers evidence. I asked Amber what gave her the strength to give evidence to the police, after what she had gone through. Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. "What they did to me was evil, they ripped away my dignity, my self-esteem," she said. "[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. A group of twenty men were found guilty in October 2018 of running a child grooming gang in Huddersfield, with the men being convicted of 120 offences against 15 different girls. Research has found that group-based child sexual exploitation offenders are most commonly white. The third woman, who was also 12 at the time, was punched in the face by one of her abusers but was herself arrested for harassment. Khan and Rauf claim deportation would interfere with their human rights. Vulnerable children some as young as 11 were targeted by child abusers in the town of Telford, Shropshire, over 40 years. Finally, officers did not challenge a Crown Prosecution Service decision not to prosecute. There were therefore many still walking free that had evaded detection. Although a court order prevented her being named, everyone in her local community knew who she was. It was not until summer 2011 that Nazir Afzal, the new regional head of the CPS, reversed the decision not to prosecute. The men led the girls to believe they were in relationships with some of them, and it was normal to have sex. Richard Moriarty; Jonathan Reilly; Published: 21:11, 8 Apr 2021; Updated: 21:11, 8 Apr 2021: 21:11, 8 Apr 2021 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. Nine men were convicted, of whom eight were of British Pakistani origin and one was an Afghan asylum-seeker. Read about our approach to external linking. Between 2003 and 2014, Rowbotham made more than 180 attempts to alert police and social services but was told the witnesses were not reliable. 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. Details. [6] Sara Rowbotham, the sexual health worker who first recognised patterns of child abuse in the community and fought to bring these crimes to police attention, was made redundant in 2014. [5], In March 2015, Greater Manchester Police apologised for its failure to investigate the child sexual exploitation allegations more thoroughly between 2008 and 2010. It made me sick to my stomach. I felt sick, got upset nothing never no one from police came to me to explain why I was no longer going to court. 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".