Latest news with #MaggieOliver
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Downing Street says grooming gangs scandal is being 'weaponised' as Labour minister faces calls to resign after branding it a 'dog whistle' issue
Sir Keir Starmer 's Downing Street has been condemned by grooming gang victims after backing a minister's suggestion the scandal was being 'weaponised'. No. 10 officials hit out following calls for Commons Leader Lucy Powell to be fired for dismissing criticism as a 'dog whistle' campaigning. A spokesperson for the PM, who was previously head of the Crown Prosecution Service, appeared to back Ms Powell amid calls for her to quit or be dismissed. Cabinet minister Ms Powell, Manchester Central MP since 2012, is accused of having 'belittled' victims' following comments she made when responding on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions to Tim Montgomerie, founder of the website ConservativeHome. In a discussion about councils' diversity spending, Mr Montgomerie asked Ms Powell whether she had watched a recent Channel 4 documentary on five women who had been victims of sexual grooming. She replied: 'Oh, we want to blow that little trumpet now, do we? Let's get that dog whistle out, shall we?' One of the victims of the Rotherham grooming gangs scandal today told MailOnline of her dismay at the remarks - and accused Labour of downplaying the 'heinous crime' committed against young girls. Grooming gangs abuse and attempts by whistleblowers such as former Greater Manchester detective Maggie Oliver to expose police failures were depicted in the acclaimed 2017 BBC drama series Three Girls. Ms Powell has responded to a backlash against her Radio 4 remarks by posting on X, formerly Twitter: 'In the heat of a discussion on AQ, I would like to clarify that I regard issues of child exploitation & grooming with the utmost seriousness. 'I'm sorry if this was unclear. I was challenging the political point scoring around it, not the issue itself. 'As a constituency MP I've dealt with horrendous cases. This Gvt is acting to get the truth, and deliver justice.' Downing Street has risked further enflaming the controversy, after being challenged over Ms Powell's suggestion that the grooming gangs issue was being 'weaponised'. A No. 10 spokesman said in reply: 'It's obviously disappointing for people to do so. But the Prime Minister is focused on taking the action that is needed to deliver for victims rather than on political point scoring.' When asked by reporters who was doing so, the spokesman added: 'I think any political point scoring on an issue such as this is disappointing. The Government is focused on taking action to deliver justice for victims.' Sarah Wilson, a victim of the Rotherham scandal, has said Ms Powell's comments at the weekend showed what survivors have been 'up against all these years' and why they have not been 'listened to – they never cared and never will'. And another Rotherham victim today told MailOnline of her anger at the response, with Elizabeth Harper, not her real name, saying: 'Lucy Powell's comments were said so confidently. Downing Street has said Sir Keir Starmer (pictured last Friday in Bedfordshire) is 'focused on taking the action that is needed to deliver for victims rather than on political point scoring' 'It is clear to me and others who have been wildly affected by this heinous crime that this was a wider opinion of the Labour group and also that it appears this is how it's spoken about. 'Why is it being "weaponised"? Is this because people are acknowledging what we've been through? 'It's not been weaponised. People are scared and worried, not just for the survivors but for the future generations. 'This is a crime that needs dealing with - instead they continue to let people of this country down.' At least 1,400 children were subjected to sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. MailOnline previously revealed how one of Elizabeth's attackers had been recalled to a category-B prison after being spotted less than a mile from her home in Rotherham - despite legal conditions barring him from a return to the town. Taxi driver Asghar Bostan served four and a half years of a nine-year term handed down in 2018, after being convicted of two rapes of a girl under 16 between 2000 and 2002. Sir Keir was accused in January this year of 'smear tactics' after claiming people wanting an inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal were jumping on a 'far-right bandwagon'. The PM also defended his record as former Director of Public Prosecutions after Tesla tycoon Elon Musk suggested he was 'complicit' in a failure to tackle abuse. He said: 'What I won't tolerate is politicians jumping on the bandwagon simply to get attention when those politicians sat in government for 14 long years, tweeting, talking, but not doing anything about it – now so desperate for attention that they're amplifying what the far-right is saying.' Downing Street then insisted Sir Keir's remarks were focused on the Conservatives rather than campaigners and victims pushing for an inquiry. Cabinet colleague and Health Secretary Wes Streeting has this week said Ms Powell was 'mortified' about her Any Questions comments and was 'right' to apologise. He also insisted on Sunday the Government took the issue of child sexual exploitation 'extremely seriously' and was 'making real changes that will help to support victims'. The issue of grooming – including by gangs of Pakistani origin – has been put back into the spotlight after Labour denied a request for a new Whitehall-led inquiry. The Government instead ordered locally led probes, although Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has ordered a 'rapid audit' into the scale of the issue. The Conservatives' Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has branded the Government 'shameful' for 'standing by' Ms Powell following her weekend comments. Labour minister Lucy Powell posted on X, formerly Twitter, about her earlier remarks on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions programme - prompting further responses from critics He said: 'If Lucy Powell won't resign, Keir Starmer should fire her if he is serious about this issue. 'Wes Streeting saying this was just a "slip of the tongue" is an unacceptable excuse – especially given Labour's refusal to hold a proper national inquiry and Starmer's "far-Right bandwagon" smear in January.' Channel 4 last month broadcast a documentary called Groomed: A National Scandal that included testimony from five women telling of their ordeals - as well as footage of a convicted grooming gang rapist complaining about his treatment behind bars. Irfan Khan, 37, from Batley in West Yorkshire, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with a five-year extended licence, for three offences of rape and making threats to kill - but a new investigation revealed his moans to supporters when calling from jail. He was part of a group of more than 20 sexual predators locked up last year for a total of 346 years after eight young girls in West Yorkshire were raped, abused and trafficked across 13 years. Khan was heard phoning from prison and telling supporters of a campaign group called Fighting For Fair Trials: 'Since I've been inside there's been so many come inside all of a sudden – it's been like a domino. Half of Dewsbury's inside. 'And it's really unfair – you know, it's just unfair. I've done nothing wrong and I've sat here for 15 months.' The Government has been facing calls this year - including from X's billionaire owner Elon Musk - for new inquiries into the handling of grooming gangs exposed across the country, in cases where the abusers were predominantly Asian men. Grooming gang victims Chantelle (left) and Jade (right) have spoken out in a new Channel 4 documentary called Groomed: In January last year a report found young girls were 'left at the mercy' of paedophile grooming gangs for years in Rochdale because of failings by senior police and council bosses. The damning 173-page review covered 2004 to 2013 and set out multiple failed investigations by Greater Manchester Police and apparent local authority indifference to the plight of hundreds of youngsters, mainly white girls from poor backgrounds, all identified as potential victims of abuse in Rochdale. Successive police operations were launched, but these were insufficiently resourced to match the scale of the widespread organised exploitation within the area. The study followed reports by the same authors on grooming in Manchester and Oldham, which found authorities had again failed children, l eaving them in the clutches of paedophiles.
BBC News
23-04-2025
- BBC News
Funds raised for legal action over failure to stop grooming gangs
More than £100,000 has been raised as part of a campaign to take legal action against public officials who failed to stop grooming gangs and with survivors of child sexual abuse, Maggie Oliver, a former detective turned police whistleblower, is seeking to raise £125,000 to bring private prosecutions against individuals, including police officers and council officials. In Rotherham - one of several towns and cities in England hit by grooming scandals - a report found more than 1,400 girls were raped and trafficked between 1997 and Yorkshire Police said the abuse would always be a "profound regret" while Rotherham Council said its failing were "wholly unacceptable". In her review, published in 2014, Prof Alexis Jay said three reports had been presented to the council and police by 2006 outlining the problem but that they had either been supressed or ignored, with no action Jay went on to lead a separate Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), which found institutional failings and tens of thousands of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) victims across England and Wales. The aim of #TheyKnew campaign is to help fund the costs of investigating and bringing civil claims or private prosecutions against those individuals or organisations who failed to take action to stop the with a team of barristers and legal advisors, it will look at grooming cases across the - not her real name - was one of hundreds of children who was abused in Rotherham when she was said senior officials in the police and council knew the scale of her abuse but "choose to stay silent"."I was never treated like a victim, I was a child left to make adult choices and that should have never been allowed," she said."They absolutely knew and they choose to do nothing bout it. They choose to turn a blind eye."She said the campaign would "make the impossible possible"."I hope that we see prosecutions and I hope that we see them in the court rooms and finally a little bit of justice."Ms Oliver, who resigned from Greater Manchester Police over the way Rochdale grooming cases were handled, said despite public apologies and some reforms, many individuals implicated in the failings had not been held legally accountable."Every victim that you speak to will say they want accountability," she said."We want the evidence to show that they have massively failed in their duty." Det Supt Pete Quinn, South Yorkshire Police's strategic lead for child safeguarding, said: "There never has and there never will be a good reason for failing to properly investigate child sexual exploitation."He said the abuse in the 1990s and 2000s had to led to the "beginning of an improved future"."Reports of CSE in our region have long since been investigated by dedicated local multi-agency teams but our approach is now subject to structured governance by force leads and external bodies to ensure we are preparing, preventing, protecting, and pursuing in line with best practice and, crucially, without fear or favour," he Curley, strategic director for children and young people's services at Rotherham Council, said the council and its partners "continue to do all that we can to support the victims of those horrific crimes."She added: "Over the last ten years, we have been committed to listening to the voice and lived experience of victims and survivors in order to drive forward improvements.""Any victims of child sexual abuse are urged to come forward and report the crimes committed against them. There is support available and you are not alone." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Politicians who fail to protect rape gang victims could be prosecuted
MIDNIGHT EMBARGO 6.51AM SCH Politicians, police chiefs and social workers could be prosecuted over their failure to tackle grooming gangs under plans by a police whistleblower and victims of child sexual abuse. Maggie Oliver, the Greater Manchester detective who exposed the Rochdale grooming scandal, and the victims are launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise £125,000 to investigate police forces, local councils and individuals who they believe turned a blind eye and failed to act over child sexual exploitation. Working with a specialist legal team who are offering their services pro bono, they aim to amass evidence that could support private prosecutions, civil claims or other legal proceedings against individuals for their failings. Launching the bid on Monday, former police detective-turned-whistleblower Ms Oliver said misconduct in public office could be one of the offences being looked at to hold to account senior officials who 'knowingly failed in their duty to protect children' against gangs or other cases of sex abuse. She told The Telegraph: 'I have no doubt that chief constables were fully aware of this because I notified them of what was going on. Senior social workers turned a blind eye to children on child protection registers knowing they were being abused but it was easier to do nothing about it. 'We have to take control and decision making out of their hands and put it into the hands of lawyers, barristers and experts who have no vested interest in covering up the truth. My only interest is to make sure that children are being protected in the future from abuse. 'I want the message to go out very clearly to senior public servants today, whether that's chief constables, heads of social services, heads of councils, politicians that if they fail to act or to do their duty to protect children, that they can be held legally accountable in the future.' 'That's the only way that I believe that we will see real, meaningful change.' Ms Oliver, who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in 2012, said successive governments could not be trusted to bring real change, leaving campaigners to take matters into their own hands. 'I think the country is demanding action be taken,' she said. In January, Ms Oliver threatened that she would take Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, to court unless she made 'urgent steps to allay widespread public concern' over gangs sexually exploiting children. The charity founder described last week's update from ministers on progress as 'empty words' and 'more empty promises'. Recommendations from a review into child sexual abuse hit the headlines in January after Elon Musk, the billionaire X owner, criticised the Prime Minister and Jess Phillips, the Home Office minister, over the UK's handling of child grooming scandals. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) led by Professor Alexis Jay found institutional failings and thousands of victims across England and Wales. The seven-year investigation made 20 recommendations in the final report published in 2022, as it described child sexual abuse as an 'epidemic' across the two nations. The Government has vowed to carry out recommendations, including to make it a criminal offence to obstruct someone reporting abuse, and creating a new child protection authority to improve safeguarding. The Home Secretary has also insisted that local inquiries into grooming gangs in five towns, and possibly more, will be going ahead with a £5 million funding pot after accusations that the plans were being watered down. A rapid national audit led by Baroness Casey looking at the scale of grooming gangs across the country is also expected to report back after Easter. But Ms Oliver said that while the new offence on reporting abuse will 'go some way' to ensure exploitation in Rochdale, Rotherham, Telford and elsewhere will not be repeated, it will 'do nothing to right historical wrongs and hold those who've already failed to account'. Non-profit organisation Action for Accountability, which has launched the bid, will be working with Devonshires Solicitors to investigate claims and will bring proceedings if it finds misconduct. Samantha Smith, a survivor of abuse in Telford, Shropshire, who is among those leading the campaign, said: 'I will never forget how those in power turned a blind eye while I was being groomed and abused. I was a child begging for help.' An inquiry into abuse in Telford reported findings in 2022 that more than a thousand children were sexually exploited over at least 30 years amid 'shocking' police and council failings. Ms Smith added: 'We must demand better from those who claim to protect victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse. And there must be consequences for inaction.' The #TheyKnew fundraiser is being launched on CrowdJustice to cover evidence gathering, legal advice, investigators, experts and other associated costs. Any remaining funds will be returned to donors or donated to charity. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Telegraph
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Politicians who fail to protect rape gang victims could be prosecuted
Politicians, police chiefs and social workers could be prosecuted over their failure to tackle grooming gangs under plans by a police whistleblower and victims of child sexual abuse. Maggie Oliver, the Greater Manchester detective who exposed the Rochdale grooming scandal, and the victims are launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise £125,000 to investigate police forces, local councils and individuals who they believe turned a blind eye and failed to act over child sexual exploitation. Working with a specialist legal team who are offering their services pro bono, they aim to amass evidence that could support private prosecutions, civil claims or other legal proceedings against individuals for their failings. Launching the bid on Monday, former police detective-turned-whistleblower Ms Oliver said misconduct in public office could be one of the offences being looked at to hold to account senior officials who 'knowingly failed in their duty to protect children' against gangs or other cases of sex abuse. She told The Telegraph: 'I have no doubt that chief constables were fully aware of this because I notified them of what was going on. Senior social workers turned a blind eye to children on child protection registers, knowing they were being abused, but it was easier to do nothing about it. 'We have to take control and decision making out of their hands and put it into the hands of lawyers, barristers and experts who have no vested interest in covering up the truth. My only interest is to make sure that children are being protected in the future from abuse. 'I want the message to go out very clearly to senior public servants today, whether that's chief constables, heads of social services, heads of councils, politicians, that if they fail to act or to do their duty to protect children, that they can be held legally accountable in the future.' 'That's the only way that I believe that we will see real, meaningful change.' 'The country is demanding action' Ms Oliver, who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in 2012, said successive governments could not be trusted to bring real change, leaving campaigners to take matters into their own hands. 'I think the country is demanding action be taken,' she said. In January, Ms Oliver threatened that she would take Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, to court unless she made 'urgent steps to allay widespread public concern' over gangs sexually exploiting children. The charity founder described last week's update from ministers on progress as 'empty words' and 'more empty promises'. Recommendations from a review into child sexual abuse hit the headlines in January after Elon Musk, the billionaire X owner, criticised Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, and Jess Phillips, the Home Office minister, over the UK's handling of child grooming scandals. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) led by Prof Alexis Jay has found institutional failings and thousands of victims across England and Wales. The seven-year investigation made 20 recommendations in the final report published in 2022, as it described child sexual abuse as an 'epidemic' across the two nations. The Government has vowed to carry out recommendations, including to make it a criminal offence to obstruct someone reporting abuse, and creating a new child protection authority to improve safeguarding. The Home Secretary has also insisted that local inquiries into grooming gangs in five towns, and possibly more, will be going ahead with a £5 million funding pot after accusations that the plans were being watered down. A rapid national audit led by Baroness Casey, looking at the scale of grooming gangs across the country, is also expected to report back after Easter. But Ms Oliver said that while the new offence on reporting abuse will 'go some way' to ensure exploitation in Rochdale, Rotherham, Telford and elsewhere will not be repeated, it will 'do nothing to right historical wrongs and hold those who've already failed to account'. Action for Accountability, a non-profit organisation that has launched the bid, will be working with Devonshires Solicitors to investigate claims and will bring proceedings if it finds misconduct. Samantha Smith, a survivor of abuse in Telford, Shropshire, who is among those leading the campaign, said: 'I will never forget how those in power turned a blind eye while I was being groomed and abused. I was a child begging for help.' An inquiry into abuse in Telford reported findings in 2022 that more than a thousand children were sexually exploited over at least 30 years amid 'shocking' police and council failings. Ms Smith added: 'We must demand better from those who claim to protect victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse. And there must be consequences for inaction.' The #TheyKnew fundraiser is being launched on CrowdJustice to cover evidence gathering, legal advice, investigators, experts and other associated costs. Any remaining funds will be returned to donors or donated to charity.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Campaigners seek legal action against those who failed to tackle grooming gangs
A police whistleblower and survivors of child sexual abuse have launched a legal campaign to investigate taking action against those who failed to tackle grooming gangs and exploitation. The #TheyKnew campaign is seeking to raise £125,000 to investigate actions of police forces, local authorities and individuals across the country to decide whether private prosecutions, civil claims or other legal proceedings can be brought against them for past failures. Launching the bid on Monday, former police detective turned whistleblower Maggie Oliver said misconduct in public office could be one of the offences being looked at to hold to account senior officials who 'knowingly failed in their duty to protect children' against gangs or other cases of sex abuse. Campaigners believe that by taking action against historical wrongs, it will also help ensure 'nothing like this is ever allowed to happen again'. Ms Oliver told the PA news agency: 'I want the message to go out very clearly to senior public servants today, whether that's chief constables, heads of social services, heads of councils, politicians that if they fail to act or to do their duty to protect children, that they can be held legally accountable in the future. 'That's the only way that I believe that we will see real, meaningful change.' Ms Oliver, who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in 2012, said successive governments could not be trusted to bring real change, leaving campaigners to take matters into their own hands. 'I think the country is demanding action be taken,' she said. The Government has faced pressure to act on grooming gangs and child sex abuse, and has made a series of announcements to tackle the issue since January. Ms Oliver threatened in January that she would take Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to court unless she made 'urgent steps to allay widespread public concern' over gangs sexually exploiting children. The charity founder described the latest update from ministers on progress to tackle child sex abuse as 'empty words' and 'more empty promises'. Recommendations from a major review into child sexual abuse hit the headlines in January after billionaire X owner Elon Musk criticised the Prime Minister and Home Office minister Jess Phillips over the UK's handling of child grooming scandals. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) led by Professor Alexis Jay found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales. The seven-year probe made 20 recommendations in the final report published in 2022, as it described child sexual abuse as an 'epidemic' across the two nations. The Government has vowed to carry out recommendations, including to make it a criminal offence to obstruct someone reporting abuse, and creating a new child protection authority to improve safeguarding. The Home Secretary has also insisted that local inquiries into grooming gangs in five towns, and possibly more, will be going ahead with a £5 million funding pot after accusations that the plans were being watered down. A rapid national audit, led by Baroness Casey, looking at the scale of grooming gangs across the country, is also expected to report back after Easter. But Ms Oliver said that while the new offence on reporting abuse will 'go some way' to ensure exploitation in Rochdale, Rotherham, Telford and elsewhere will not be repeated, it will 'do nothing to right historical wrongs and hold those who've already failed to account'. Non-profit organisation Action for Accountability, which has launched the bid, will be working with Devonshires Solicitors to investigate claims and will bring proceedings if it finds misconduct. Samantha Smith, a survivor of abuse in Telford, Shropshire, who is among those leading the campaign, said: 'I will never forget how those in power turned a blind eye while I was being groomed and abused. 'I was a child begging for help.' An inquiry into abuse in Telford reported findings in 2022 that more than a thousand children were sexually exploited over at least 30 years amid 'shocking' police and council failings. Ms Smith added: 'We must demand better from those who claim to protect victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 'And there must be consequences for inaction.' A survivor of abuse in Rotherham, Elizabeth Harper – not her real name – is also driving the action to 'hold those that failed to account'. An inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, which covered the period 1997 to 2013, made a 'conservative estimate' that around 1,400 children were sexually exploited over 16 years. Ms Harper said: 'I was also a victim of systemic failings on an industrial scale by those paid to protect us. 'Things will not change until we see accountability.' Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips told MPs on April 8 that all chief constables in England and Wales re-examined their investigations into gang child sexual exploitation, which resulted in no further action decisions. She added that from April 1, victims and survivors can ask the Child Sexual Abuse Review Panel to independently review cases that took place after 2013. The #TheyKnew fundraiser is being launched on CrowdJustice to cover evidence gathering, legal advice, investigators, experts and other associated costs. Any remaining funds will be returned to donors or donated to charity.
