Asian grooming gangs raped me 15 times a day from age of 12 & burnt me with cigarettes – but it was ME who was punished

The Sun

5 hours ago

NEARLY 20 years on, Nicola Riley is still too afraid to shop in her own town centre.
Every time she passes a man in the street, she worries that it could be one of the men that made her childhood hell and that they might recognise her.
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For Nicola was groomed and raped as a child by hundreds of men, who filmed and photographed her and passed her picture around amongst their gangs.
The teenager could not go into her local town centre without being badgered by strangers who thought she was an easy target for sexual assaults.
And even now, aged 33, Nicola is too anxious to go to her local shops.
She says: 'I'm terrified of leaving my own home, I've even moved to a new town because I can't stand the flashbacks, or the threat of seeing one of my abusers.'
Nicola grew up in a loving and secure home in Blackburn, Lancs, but was self-conscious because of a bone disorder.
So when she was targeted by young men outside her school, she initially felt flattered.
But it was the start of four years of grooming, during which Nicola was forced to perform thousands of sex acts on hundreds of men and was raped up to 15 times a day.
Only two of her abusers were jailed and Nicola is now bravely speaking out in support of the national inquiry into grooming.
She says: 'All my life, I've felt like a failure.
'The abuse left me feeling utterly worthless, and then the agencies who should have looked after me; the police, social services and youth workers, let me down even further.
National inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal finally ordered by Keir Starmer in another Labour U-turn
'I was actually punished for being groomed – I was taken to a secure unit which was like a cell.
'The social workers made me feel like it was my fault.'
Nicola, now 33, had a happy childhood living with her mother and two siblings in Blackburn. She was sporty and enjoyed running and netball and was part of a Majorette dance troupe.
But in high school, she became self-conscious about her right arm, which is slightly shorter than her left, due to a bone condition called Ollier's disease.
Nicola says: 'To me, it was a big deal. I felt I didn't fit in at school and I was on the outside of everything that was happening.'
Aged 12, older girls in her school introduced her to a group of Asian men, who were in their early twenties.
Nicola says: 'One seemed to really like me and I was flattered.
'He pointed at me and said, 'Bring her' and I actually felt special. I had no idea of what was to come.'
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For a couple of months, the men groomed Nicola with alcohol, takeaways, clothes and jewellery.
She says: 'I thought it was great.
'They'd pick me up after school and drive around really fast. They gave me new clothes which I hid from my mum. They bought me a secret phone. I felt really lucky.'
But then, the attacks started.
Nicola says: 'They were forcing me to drink and take drugs and making me stay out later than I was allowed.
'I got into trouble at home, which was exactly what they wanted, because it pushed me further into their clutches.
'The man who I thought was my boyfriend made me perform sex acts on him as well as other men.
'Then, he introduced his cousins and his uncles, and the men were getting older and older. He'd say, 'If you like me, you must do this.'
One man had guns, and he made me hold them, letting me know what would happen if I ever refused to have sex with him
Nicola Riley
'When I refused, they quickly became nasty, threatening to hurt my family and burn my house down.
'They put cigarettes out on my arm to let me know they were serious.'
Soon, Nicola was skipping school most days to be with the gang.
She says: 'They drove me to Manchester, and I was raped by men there.
'Sometimes it was in the car, other times in flats above takeaways and tyre shops. One room had bolts on the door, and I was locked in until I did as they said.
'They'd drive me to the middle of nowhere and leave me there if I misbehaved. I even got out of a car on a motorway one night. They beat me up and filmed it.
'One man had guns, and he made me hold them, letting me know what would happen if I ever refused to have sex with him.
'I was raped by one man after another, some from the same family, day after day, up to 15 times a day. I became reliant on the drugs and alcohol to block it all out, and they used them as bribes.
'My mum was out of her mind with worry, out looking for me every night and pleading with the authorities for help.'
Aged 13, Nicola was taken into care, but the abuse continued.
Steps to Keep Your Child Safe From Grooming
By Emma Kenny, true crime psychologist and parenting expert
Encourage your child to share their day-to-day experiences. Ask who they talked to on the way home, what happened at the bus stop, and if anything made them feel uncomfortable. The more openly you talk, the more confident they'll be to speak up if something feels off.
If possible, arrange for your child to walk or travel with friends. Identify safe spaces along the route, trusted neighbours or shops where they can go if they feel threatened.
Groomers often switch to online contact once they've made initial in-person connections. Monitor your child's digital devices in a respectful but proactive way. Agree on ground rules for social media use, and encourage them to show you anything that makes them feel uneasy.
If your parental alarm bells are going off, do not dismiss those feelings. Challenge unusual behaviour or new relationships gently but firmly. Seek professional advice if you suspect your child is at risk.
If you have any evidence or strong suspicions that someone is grooming your child, contact the police immediately. Support and guidance from organisations like the NSPCC or Barnardo's can also be invaluable in helping you navigate this distressing situation.
She says: 'The groomers parked outside the care home to wait for me every day.
'It seemed to me that the staff acted like it was my own fault and I believed that.'
Nicola was moved to a foster placement in Wales, but the gang tracked her down and brought her back.
She was later placed in a secure unit in Blackburn.
She says: 'The secure unit was a cell. I didn't have a TV, so I couldn't mix with other kids. I thought it must all be my fault.'
Attacked with metal bars
Aged 14, two of the abusers attacked Nicola and another girl with metal bars when they refused to have sex and they went to the police.
In August 2007, Zulfar Hussain, 46, and Qaiser Naveed, 32, were jailed for five years and eight months, after admitting abducting a child, sexual activity with the same child and supplying the youngster with ecstasy.
Just before she turned 16, Nicola left the secure unit and went to a hostel.
She says: 'By the age of 16, I was questioning whether the men's behaviour was acceptable. But I couldn't escape them.
'When I went out, random men would approach me and ask me for sex; they recognised me from photos or videos.
'One night, a stranger stood up for me and told them to leave me alone, and we began dating.
When I went out, random men would approach me and ask me for sex
Nicola Riley
'I felt safe with him, and it was the start of me taking my life back.'
Mum-of-three Nicola has struggled with stress, anxiety and trauma since her ordeal but hopes, one day, to qualify as a support worker, helping other children.
She says: 'My family have stood by me, which I'm grateful for.
'Mum and I are very close, and she has helped me through a lot, including recent surgery on my arm.
'I am determined to turn this pain into something positive, because I don't want the evil of my childhood to overshadow the rest of my life.
'I welcome the national inquiry, but I hope it's thorough and that they look closely at the failings of police, social services and care workers.'
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