The period during the buildup to the trial of the men accused of being part of the grooming gang, was dark for Amber. 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. "[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." RN Case Manager - Case Management at Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance Hospital $20,000 hiring bonus for eligible external hires that meet required qualifications and conditions for payment She said that seven officers had been served with misconduct notices, but no further disciplinary action would be taken against them. She continued to receive phone calls from her abusers, and cars with drivers she recognised were parking outside. 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 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". Nine men were convicted of sex trafficking and other offences including rape, trafficking girls for sex and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child in May 2012. Something went wrong, please try again later. "[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. History was repeating itself, said Maggie. It resulted in the conviction of nine men for offences including rape and human. "[The police] messed up, not me. It revealed that some CSC staff have been subjected to disciplinary action, although no-one is thought to have been sacked. Daisy gave evidence at the Rochdale grooming trial; her testimony about the abuse she witnessed helped put men in prison. "Why have I still got a criminal record? 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. [1] Forty-seven girls were identified as victims of child sexual exploitation during the police investigation. "That can't make sense.". "I'm nearly 30 years old, this started when I was 12," she says. Behind the scenes, however, there was consternation. But she changed her mind when Operation Span came knocking and she was given cast iron assurances the victims would be supported. There were therefore many still walking free that had evaded detection. "I got picked up so many times by the police and it was always when I was out with adult men," she says. Those failings allowed seven youngsters, and potentially dozens more later identified by police, to be exposed to a catalogue of horrific sex abuse at the hands of manipulative predators. Now they werent prepared to do that. 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. 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. "The report paints a shocking picture of the inability of these agencies to protect these young people successfully," said Jane Booth, chair of the safeguarding board. The Rochdale case was one of several cases which prompted investigations looking into the claim that "the majority of the perpetrators have been 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 offenders were Speaking at the conclusion of a 10-week trial at Liverpool Crown. But because of an obligation to disclose criminal convictions, she has been prevented from pursuing her chosen career. Five of the girls had "clearly" needed help and intervention by safeguarding agencies before the abuse began, the report said. [5] The girls were mainly White British. 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. Nine men between 24 and 38 years old were arrested on suspicion of sexual activity with a child. Running though them is repeated mentions of the fact that many in authority believed that the girls had brought the abuse on themselves. Sir Peter said Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd has set up an independent commission to look into the handling of cases involving teenagers with chaotic lifestyles. Last month we met Daisy*, who found herself at the centre of the scandal all those years ago. We were making referrals from 2004, very explicit referrals, referrals which absolutely highlighted for protective services that young people were incredibly vulnerable, she said. 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. In 2017, the BBC aired the drama "Three Girls" which featured the story of . A new investigation, dubbed Operation Span, was launched. [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". Craving love and attention, Amber was lured into a nightmare, subjected to repeated and often violent sexual abuse. [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. Between 2003 and 2014, Rowbotham made more than 180 attempts to alert police and social services but was told the witnesses were not reliable. [31], In late 2011, the Office of the Children's Commissioner began a two-year long inquiry into child sexual exploitation by street gangs. Daisy had ambitions to become a social worker, to use her painful past to help others in the future. There were fears that press involvement would frighten the girls away. Full-Time. "I was scared telling them, because I didn't know what the consequences would be from the men. I push thoughts about the abuse out of my head. "[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". "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. 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. The NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. "Our understanding [of these crimes] at the time wasn't as developed and our practice wasn't as improved as it is today. She plans to become a social worker, partly due to the ordeal she suffered while still a vulnerable young girl. In October 2010 the M.E.N. "You will be supported and you will be heard.". Read about our approach to external linking. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 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. The abuse took place in Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, in the early 2000s. 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. The review recommended the Greater Manchester Police establish a monitoring system and commit to maintaining a child sexual exploitation team. Although a court order prevented her being named, everyone in her local community knew who she was. It was unfortunate that it was about attitudes towards teenagers. A much bigger case had been built but, importantly, he simply believed his star witness. Speaking before the airing of a new BBC1 drama, Three Girls - which tells the story of three victims in the 2012 Rochdale sex grooming case - Margaret Oliver said police had still not learned. 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. 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? 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. Handout pictures released by Greater Manchester police in 2012 show eight of nine men convicted in connection with the child sexual exploitation ring. 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". She was being raped. 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. Police failed to tell council about arrest of Rochdale grooming gang leader who was employed as welfare rights officer Casework by police and social care was "very poor" in 10 sample cases 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. Part of HuffPost News. Sir Peter Fahy said some girls 'don't want to make a complaint because that means they go into the criminal justice system'. Two members of the grooming gang the gangs ringleader Shabir Ahmed and Kabeer Hassan were arrested and released on bail. 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. 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. In The Betrayed Girls, they speak to survivors, . 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. Tellingly, he added: I believe that one of the factors that led to that was that they were not of your community or religion. Rochdale is also being considered as part of the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse, which is examining whether authorities across the country took the problem seriously. A June 2008 report to Rochdale safeguarding children board had identified 50 children at risk of sexual exploitation. 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. Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley said that, at the time of the earlier investigation, "there was a strong target driven focus, predominantly on serious acquisitive crime. [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. Police said the victims were from chaotic, council estate backgrounds and as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang. 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. 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. [23], In March 2015, ten men aged between 26 and 45 were charged with serious sex offences against seven females aged between 13 and 23 at the time. [46], The Rochdale case was one of several cases which prompted investigations looking into the claim that "the majority of the perpetrators have been 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 offenders were of South Asian heritage. "[54], One of the seven officers retired without any sanctions being taken, even though his misconduct was found to have warranted disciplinary action. [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. said in its review into child sexual exploitation after the trial. Police and social workers failed the girls who were "passed around for sex" by a gang of men, it said. She not only suffered at the time [of the abuse] but she continues to suffer because of the criminal records. A chance to stop the gang was missed in 2008 and both the police and the CPS were forced to apologise for their failings. In 2009, when Amber was 16, uniformed officers arrived at her mothers house, arrested her and took her to the police station. 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 . She later went on to positively identify a number of offenders, which enabled charges to be brought against them all. She was vilified and nicknamed in the press as the Honey Monster. My name has been dragged through the mud. In this case the judge did indicate his belief that the Rochdale gang had deliberately sought victims outside their own community. It was like a casual, Oh, bring your friends. She was a vulnerable child, being sexually abused, controlled and in fear. [I] cant remember exactly what they said, but it was something along the lines of being a madam, she recalled. Three Girls review a brave new focus on the Rochdale child sexual abuse scandal, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. [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. [2] One gang member convicted of sex trafficking was a religious studies teacher at a mosque and a married father of five. [5], In March 2015, Greater Manchester Police apologised for its failure to investigate the child sexual exploitation allegations more thoroughly between 2008 and 2010. Although police interviewed a total of 56 men on suspicion of abuse, only a handful were tried. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. [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. The men, she said, were friendly at first, simply chatting with the girls now and again in a takeaway shop. It was outrageous. Amber was also threatened at gunpoint by a man whom she subsequently identified to the police. During that period, Amber by now pregnant and living in a one-room flat continued to be targeted by the grooming gangs. She still has a scar on her arm and as far as we know, the man who abused her was never investigated. 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. NINE men who ran the Rochdale child sex abuse ring were eventually jailed for a string of offences in 2012. One night in 2006, when she was just 14, a man became aggressive after she refused to have sex with him. [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. . Following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, nine men were convicted in May 2012. 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. 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. 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