Seven men convicted in latest UK 'grooming gangs' trial
Seven men who sexually exploited two vulnerable girls in northern England have been convicted in the latest trial over a decades-old "grooming gangs" scandal.
Greater Manchester Police said the men were convicted after a trial involving a total of 50 offences, including rape and indecency with a child, which occurred between 2001 and 2006 in Rochdale.
Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella told jurors at the start of the trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that the group's two victims were "passed around for sex, abused, degraded and then discarded".
Scarmardella also said the two girls were known to social services and that it was "no secret" they were having sex with older South Asian men such as the defendants - a situation with similarities to other grooming gangs.
The men had all denied the charges but were unanimously convicted by the jury after three weeks of deliberations.
The scandal returned to the top of the political agenda in the United Kingdom earlier this year following criticism from Elon Musk of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The owner of social media platform X accused Starmer of failing to tackle the scandal when he was the UK's chief prosecutor, which Starmer angrily rejected.
A 2014 inquiry concluded at least 1400 children were subjected to sexual exploitation in Rotherham, northern England, between 1997 and 2013.
The report said the majority of known perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage and that in some cases local officials and other agencies had been wary of identifying ethnic origins for fear of upsetting community cohesion or being seen as racist.
Grooming gangs in other towns and cities in England have also prompted criminal prosecutions and local inquiries.
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The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Starmer to tackle grooming gangs after sex exploitation case shakes UK
London: The conviction of seven men for the sexual exploitation of two teenage girls in northern England has prompted British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to announce a national inquiry into grooming gangs – a sharp policy shift after months of political pressure and growing public scrutiny. The verdict, delivered on Friday at a Manchester court, revealed that the men – aged between 41 and 67 – groomed the girls, who were just 13 at the time, and subjected them to prolonged abuse between 2001 and 2006. The case, which occurred in Rochdale, reignited a scandal that has plagued numerous British towns for more than a decade and is now seen as the trigger for a comprehensive national response. Speaking ahead of the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer said he had accepted a recommendation of Baroness Louise Casey, who recently completed a months-long audit into child sexual exploitation in England. Casey's findings are reportedly expected to assert that the grooming gang issue is explicitly tied to men of Pakistani origin, claiming that white British girls who were targeted were 'institutionally ignored' because of racism concerns. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation,' Starmer told reporters. 'That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.' The inquiry will be statutory, giving it the legal authority to compel witnesses to testify – a key demand from victims and campaigners. While Starmer did not commit to a timeline, he said details would be set out 'in an orderly way'. The announcement marks a significant reversal for Starmer, who had repeatedly rejected calls for a new national inquiry, arguing that the focus should remain on implementing the 200 recommendations of earlier reviews. Instead, the government had backed local investigations in five towns, including Oldham and Telford. Pressure for a national response had been building for months. While political opponents – including the Conservative Party and Reform UK – consistently criticised the government's handling of the issue, international attention intensified in January after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his platform on X to highlight concerns over institutional inaction. Musk's posts brought renewed attention to a previous decision to deny Oldham Council's request for a national inquiry, fuelling wider public debate.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Starmer to tackle grooming gangs after sex exploitation case shakes UK
London: The conviction of seven men for the sexual exploitation of two teenage girls in northern England has prompted British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to announce a national inquiry into grooming gangs – a sharp policy shift after months of political pressure and growing public scrutiny. The verdict, delivered on Friday at a Manchester court, revealed that the men – aged between 41 and 67 – groomed the girls, who were just 13 at the time, and subjected them to prolonged abuse between 2001 and 2006. The case, which occurred in Rochdale, reignited a scandal that has plagued numerous British towns for more than a decade and is now seen as the trigger for a comprehensive national response. Speaking ahead of the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer said he had accepted a recommendation of Baroness Louise Casey, who recently completed a months-long audit into child sexual exploitation in England. Casey's findings are reportedly expected to assert that the grooming gang issue is explicitly tied to men of Pakistani origin, claiming that white British girls who were targeted were 'institutionally ignored' because of racism concerns. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation,' Starmer told reporters. 'That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.' The inquiry will be statutory, giving it the legal authority to compel witnesses to testify – a key demand from victims and campaigners. While Starmer did not commit to a timeline, he said details would be set out 'in an orderly way'. The announcement marks a significant reversal for Starmer, who had repeatedly rejected calls for a new national inquiry, arguing that the focus should remain on implementing the 200 recommendations of earlier reviews. Instead, the government had backed local investigations in five towns, including Oldham and Telford. Pressure for a national response had been building for months. While political opponents – including the Conservative Party and Reform UK – consistently criticised the government's handling of the issue, international attention intensified in January after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his platform on X to highlight concerns over institutional inaction. Musk's posts brought renewed attention to a previous decision to deny Oldham Council's request for a national inquiry, fuelling wider public debate.
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
UK PM launches national inquiry into 'grooming gangs'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will accept a recommendation for a national inquiry into grooming gangs who sexually abused thousands of girls, having previously resisted calls for a statutory review. The scandal, which revealed how gangs of mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls more than a decade ago, returned to the political agenda this year after US billionaire Elon Musk criticised the British government. Interior minister Yvette Cooper in January asked Louise Casey, a former senior official, to undertake a "rapid audit" of the scale and nature of gang-based exploitation in Britain. Casey's report is expected to say that vulnerable white British girls were "institutionally ignored" by police and local authorities fearing being accused of racism, Sky News reported on Saturday. "(Casey's) position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry, over and above what was going on," Starmer told reporters en route to the G7 summit in Canada on Saturday. "She has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation," he added. The Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer had to be led by the nose to make what she said was the correct decision. "I've been repeatedly calling for a full national inquiry since January," she said. "Many survivors of the grooming gangs will be relieved that this is finally happening. But they need a resolution soon, not in 10 years' time." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will accept a recommendation for a national inquiry into grooming gangs who sexually abused thousands of girls, having previously resisted calls for a statutory review. The scandal, which revealed how gangs of mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls more than a decade ago, returned to the political agenda this year after US billionaire Elon Musk criticised the British government. Interior minister Yvette Cooper in January asked Louise Casey, a former senior official, to undertake a "rapid audit" of the scale and nature of gang-based exploitation in Britain. Casey's report is expected to say that vulnerable white British girls were "institutionally ignored" by police and local authorities fearing being accused of racism, Sky News reported on Saturday. "(Casey's) position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry, over and above what was going on," Starmer told reporters en route to the G7 summit in Canada on Saturday. "She has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation," he added. The Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer had to be led by the nose to make what she said was the correct decision. "I've been repeatedly calling for a full national inquiry since January," she said. "Many survivors of the grooming gangs will be relieved that this is finally happening. But they need a resolution soon, not in 10 years' time." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will accept a recommendation for a national inquiry into grooming gangs who sexually abused thousands of girls, having previously resisted calls for a statutory review. The scandal, which revealed how gangs of mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls more than a decade ago, returned to the political agenda this year after US billionaire Elon Musk criticised the British government. Interior minister Yvette Cooper in January asked Louise Casey, a former senior official, to undertake a "rapid audit" of the scale and nature of gang-based exploitation in Britain. Casey's report is expected to say that vulnerable white British girls were "institutionally ignored" by police and local authorities fearing being accused of racism, Sky News reported on Saturday. "(Casey's) position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry, over and above what was going on," Starmer told reporters en route to the G7 summit in Canada on Saturday. "She has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation," he added. The Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer had to be led by the nose to make what she said was the correct decision. "I've been repeatedly calling for a full national inquiry since January," she said. "Many survivors of the grooming gangs will be relieved that this is finally happening. But they need a resolution soon, not in 10 years' time." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will accept a recommendation for a national inquiry into grooming gangs who sexually abused thousands of girls, having previously resisted calls for a statutory review. The scandal, which revealed how gangs of mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls more than a decade ago, returned to the political agenda this year after US billionaire Elon Musk criticised the British government. Interior minister Yvette Cooper in January asked Louise Casey, a former senior official, to undertake a "rapid audit" of the scale and nature of gang-based exploitation in Britain. Casey's report is expected to say that vulnerable white British girls were "institutionally ignored" by police and local authorities fearing being accused of racism, Sky News reported on Saturday. "(Casey's) position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry, over and above what was going on," Starmer told reporters en route to the G7 summit in Canada on Saturday. "She has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation," he added. The Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Starmer had to be led by the nose to make what she said was the correct decision. "I've been repeatedly calling for a full national inquiry since January," she said. "Many survivors of the grooming gangs will be relieved that this is finally happening. But they need a resolution soon, not in 10 years' time."
