"[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. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? [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 chance to stop the gang was missed in 2008 and both the police and the CPS were forced to apologise for their failings. The grooming scandals in Rochdale and similar ones in other cities which involved Asian men, including Oxford and Rotherham, have fuelled fight-wing groups opposing multiculturalism and immigration. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? Case studies 41. 2023 BBC. It was only when she met Oliver in early 2012 that things started to change. The other three are Adil Khan, Qari Abdul Rauf and Abdul Aziz. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. These involved the grooming and sexual exploitation of several girls, aged in their early teens. History was repeating itself, said Maggie. For other inquiries, Contact Us. I gave hours of interviews, reliving all the abuse. Part of HuffPost News. The hearing was adjourned with a decision on deportation expected later this year. In 2019, Amber, along with two other victims, with the help of the Centre for Womens Justice, issued a civil claim for damages against GMP and the director of public prosecutions (DPP). 2023 BBC. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Most of you were many years older than they were. "At first I felt really bad, dirty and ashamed. Nine men between 24 and 38 years old were arrested on suspicion of sexual activity with a child. According to legal documents, there was growing evidence from the early 2000s that gangs of predominantly Asian men were grooming, trafficking and sexually abusing mostly white working-class girls in the town. In 2012 nine men were sentenced for the abuse and exploitation of young, mostly white girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. 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. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. [48][49], A further investigation was carried out by the British government in December 2020, when the Home Office published their findings, showing that the majority of child sexual exploitation gangs were, in fact, composed of white men and not British Pakistani men.[50][51]. Pat Hurst, PA. October 26, 2022, 12:21 PM. 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. There was a string of different inquiries into what went wrong. [32] Ella Cockbain and Helen Brayley pointed out, "There is no criminal offence of 'on-street grooming' and as a result it is very difficult to measure the extent of the crime based on court statistics. 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. She plans to become a social worker, partly due to the ordeal she suffered while still a vulnerable young girl. 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. The force settled the claim before the matter got to court. Details. Amber was also threatened at gunpoint by a man whom she subsequently identified to the police. [16], The trial concluded in May 2012 with the nine convictions. Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation: Characteristics of Offending Page 2 of 57 Operation Retriever 42 Operation Brooke 44 . Mohammed Amin, 45, of Falinge, was convicted of sexual assault and received a five-year jail term. 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 [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. 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. "I was scared telling them, because I didn't know what the consequences would be from the men. This is last 12 4 days ago 9 Raleigh Chilton Gents Bike 17 miles | Alderley Edge, Cheshire 22"frame. [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. "[32] Further research has been pursued since late 2011 by the Office of the Children's Commissioner. 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. rochdale grooming case details. The ringleader, 59-year-old Shabir Ahmed, claimed the girls were "prostitutes" who had been running a "business empire" and it was all "white lies". 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). 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. Operation Span was the investigation launched in December 2009 into allegations made against the individuals who were convicted in 2012, and others. Inside sinister rise of pink cocaine sweeping UK nightclubs as warring cartels battle to control 'Coca Cola of drugs', We live on Britain's WORST street - it's rife with drug addicts, crime & prostitutes we're terrified for our lives, Man 'naked and covered in blood' arrested before mum found 'murdered' at home as neighbours reveal hearing screams, Leicester 'explosion': Listen to massive 'sonic' boom that shook homes and rattled windows. VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. Three trials were conducted where jurors were told of how these men preyed specifically on young girls under the age of 16 from vulnerable backgrounds. Video, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, Harry: I always felt different to rest of family, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, Walkie Talkie architect Rafael Violy dies aged 78. Cryer said, "Neither the police nor social services would touch those cases. The Independent Office for Police Conduct quoted a chief inspector on the sexual abuse cases in Rotherham saying "With it being Asians, we can't afford for this to be coming out" - cementing the. Finally, officers did not challenge a Crown Prosecution Service decision not to prosecute. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Kabeer Hassan was sentenced to nine years for rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. All three men from Rochdale involved in the appeal were found guilty of conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children under the age of 16 and trafficking for sexual exploitation following. The Government retrospectively changing laws in response to being ruled against in DWP workfare case even before Appeal is heard and to prevent legal re-imbursement of seized benefits in defiance of Appeal Court ruling. Nothing happened. But the situation changed and she was raped by one of the men. Afterwards, she told me: I went home, put it to the back of my mind to be honest. She told me: Police werent arsed with us, really. Even though she had been a victim, she was accused of being involved in the 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. Read about our approach to external linking. It formed a large part of the police investigation that became known as Operation Span. A key member of the team was Detective Constable Maggie Oliver whose task was to convince the victims to speak to the police. The testimony of one of the five victims of the Rochdale grooming ring revealed the depth of the exploitation she suffered. The perpetrators would pass the girls to their friends, often to settle a debt. [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. 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. [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". "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 Rochdale child sex abuse ring involved underage teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England.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. It was said Khan, who is married with one child, fathered the child of a 13-year-old victim. Nine men have been convicted of sexually exploiting young girls in Greater Manchester. 08 April 2021 The Rochdale grooming scandal was one of the most horrific cases of child sexual abuse in recent times. What's the least exercise we can get away with? Convicted rapist who murdered one woman and attempted to murder another. They ripped away all my dignity". [9] The men were aged between 24-59 and all knew each other. 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. 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. Police seized the foetus as evidence, but she was not notified, nor was her mother or any responsible adult. But once the CPS advised the GMP that she was no longer seen as a suspect, she was persuaded by Oliver to begin a series of video interviews and ID parades. "[32], The former head of Barnardo's, Martin Narey, said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "For this particular type of crime, the street grooming of teenage girls in northern towns there is very troubling evidence that Asians are overwhelmingly represented in the prosecutions for such offences. 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. Eleanor Williams, now 22, constructed a web of lies that saw in To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. I push thoughts about the abuse out of my head. Amber was understandably reluctant to trust the police. Hamid Safi, then 22 and of no fixed address, was convicted of trafficking girls for the purposes of sexual exploitation and sentenced to four years. The Rochdale child sex abuse ring involved underage teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. Team Management: Establish & manage globally distributed, co-located, virtual, cross-functional, high performing self-organizing teams leveraging onsite-offshore delivery models. "[45], In May 2017, the BBC broadcast Three Girls, a miniseries about the case. She gave the police a list, at an early stage of Operation Span, with nicknames, telephone numbers and other details relating to offenders. I trusted police that I would be helped this time. said in its review into child sexual exploitation after the trial. Two members of the grooming gang the gangs ringleader Shabir Ahmed and Kabeer Hassan were arrested and released on bail. It was not until summer 2011 that Nazir Afzal, the new regional head of the CPS, reversed the decision not to prosecute. Video, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, Harry: I always felt different to rest of family, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, Walkie Talkie architect Rafael Violy dies aged 78, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, Nelson's 97th-minute stunner gives Arsenal victory. 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News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Abdul Rauf was sentenced to six years for trafficking for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. She was being shared around paedophiles across the north of England. Maggie Oliver was again left fuming when one of the girls she had talked round - a victim of abuse - was placed in the indictment that went before the jury. Two of the women's cases formed the basis of the BBC drama Three Girls. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. On one occasion, she was picked up by police on the moors, miles outside Manchester, and told officers she told a man she did not want to sleep with him and he had taken her coat, thrown orange juice over her, and left her to walk home with no socks or shoes on. Now they werent prepared to do that. Adil Khan, then 42, and also of Rochdale was convicted of trafficking a child within the UK for sexual exploitation and received eight years. The taxi driver was said in court to have taken over as the main trafficker of the girls. Wide elastic waistband with black edging. "I tried to say no in a nice way, but he wasn't having it.". To keep up with Rochdale news sign up to the MyRochdale newsletter here. It was outrageous. It was absolute disrespect that vulnerable young people did not have a voice. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. . If such people know they have been 'rumbled', and they will sense it by the way people look at, behave and react to them, it will help disrupt their activities. 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Her mother was not allowed to be with her during the interview, and there was no mention of an appropriate adult. 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". Leeds man Robert Glendinning was jailed at Bradford Crown Court yesterday after a judge heard details of his repeated abuse of the children in the late 1970s. 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. 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. I shouldve been helped, not punished.. Paul Wilson, 21, admitted 47 charges including rape and grooming and must serve at least 15 years of a life term. "He asked me to come upstairs and I didn't really think anything of it," she explained. Read about our approach to external linking. The women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, met Chief Constable Stephen Watson to be given the apology for police failings. [1][8] Most of the men were married and well-respected within their community. She was vilified and nicknamed in the press as the Honey Monster. There were fears that press involvement would frighten the girls away. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Lancashire 1996-11-05. Shed been the victim of abuse from the age of 14. 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. 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. Grooming victim: "What they did to me was evil. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. 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. BBC Ones new drama Three Girls launched on Tuesday to five million viewers. A SURVIVOR of a Rotherham grooming gang says she knew all along a teenager was posing as a "fake" victim of sexual abuse. "I know they believed me, they said to me at the end that something should have been done.". A separate civil claim launched by the women against the Crown Prosecution Service is ongoing. The case is another example of the worrying number of girls who . In this case the judge did indicate his belief that the Rochdale gang had deliberately sought victims outside their own community. [19] Nine men were convicted, of whom eight were of British Pakistani origin and one was an Afghan asylum-seeker. Mohammed Amin received a five-year sentence for sexual assault and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children. May stated the revocations were "conducive to the public good". The legal documents involved in the case revealed one of the women, who was 12 at the time, was passed around "like a ball" between "thousands" of men for rape and sexual abuse. 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. [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. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? The period during the buildup to the trial of the men accused of being part of the grooming gang, was dark for Amber. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? THE widespread sexual assault and grooming of girls in the town of Rochdale was a case which shocked the country and prompted major criticism of the authorities. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood said that about 550 officers were working on Operation Doublet in May 2013. There were therefore many still walking free that had evaded detection. "[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. 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". 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They had to be assured that, as victims of sex crimes, they would be guaranteed anonymity for life. She described the Rochdale case as "even more disgusting" than cases of girls being passed around street gangs, as the perpetrators "were grown men, some of them religious teachers or running businesses, with young families of their own. Mohammed Sajid, then 35 and of Rochdale, was convicted of one count of rape, sexual activity with a girl under 16 and trafficking for sexual exploitation and was jailed for 12 years. They dont give a fuck when youre not from a wealthy background.. It made me sick to my stomach. 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. The review recommended the Greater Manchester Police establish a monitoring system and commit to maintaining a child sexual exploitation team. 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. 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. [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.