Thousands of paedophiles are freely walking the streets believing they have evaded justice
Girl One believes there has been an institutional failure to properly investigate grooming gang networks (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
A survivor of one of Britain’s biggest grooming gang scandals believes 99% of evil paedophiles involved in the industrial abuse of children nationwide have avoided justice. Girl One, who was trafficked the length and breadth of Britain from the age of 12 to be raped and sexually molested by the sprawling rape gangs, fears thousands of men involved remain walking the streets of Britain, with just 1% of participants having been brought to justice.
That leaves 99% of perpetrators involved in the UK’s grooming gang networks free to live normal lives decades after committing their horrific crimes – with victims running the daily risk of encountering the men while going about their everyday business.
Get the day’s biggest headlines in UK and World news and more
Invalid email
You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info.
Girl One spoke to the Express first after 20 years’ silence (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
Hitting out at what she says is an institutional failure to properly investigate the networks, Girl One – a central survivor of the Oxford grooming gang scandal – points to a devastating mathematical reality.
From the mid-1990s through the 2010s, organised networks of men, predominantly of Asian heritage, trafficked thousands of vulnerable girls up and down the country to be abused.
The National Crime Agency has so far secured about 50 convictions from 220 arrests after identifying more than 1,150 new victims under Operation Stovewood.
Exact figures on the number of grooming gang convictions are unknown, but legal experts believe only about 100 men have ever been brought to justice nationwide.
Girl One, who earlier this year broke her 20-year silence to speak exclusively of her horror ordeal to the Daily Express, featured in a new BBC Panorama expose following up on our story, speaking under the name Rachel alongside two other Oxford victims.
Another survivor, Sarah, told the programme that “hundreds” of people who abused them are still walking free, revealing “a shop, a petrol station, a restaurant – everywhere you can imagine – you’ll see a man that’s done something”.
But Girl One says far many more than that have avoided justice.
She said: “It’s not just hundreds, it’s probably thousands of people. Dirty paedos that have been paying for sex with children, who’ve just been allowed to crack on with their everyday lives.
“It’s just basic maths, isn’t it? If there are only 100 or so convictions yet thousands of girl victims all saying they were abused by hundreds of men, then there surely must be thousands of them. I reckon just 1% have been caught so far – that means 99% have got away with it.”
Her fellow Oxford survivors revealed they still see men who sexually abused them, and who have not been brought to justice, walking around the city.
It is an experience being replicated in multiple towns and cities – including Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford, as well as Oxford – between the 1990s and 2010s.
Oxford was one of the places where most of the perpetrators were identified as older men of Pakistani heritage. In some cases, such as in Rotherham, police were accused of hesitating to act out of fear of being seen as racist. But in Oxford, a serious case review found no evidence that this had been a factor.
Get top stories from The Express sent straight to your phone Join us on WhatsApp
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
The Government has launched a national inquiry to address why vulnerable children were not protected in England and Wales, including whether attitudes to the girls or the ethnicity of the perpetrators contributed to the failings.
But Girl One is demanding that Thames Valley Police’s major crime and child abuse units reinvestigate the Oxford network directly. She wants the inquiry to have the scope to investigate people in positions of power and influence, including police officers, social workers, prominent business people and “everyone else”.
And she wants police forces nationwide to cross-reference their data to bring the evidence together.
She added: “Girls from up North are saying they were brought down South. We’ve said that we were taken up North, they need to cross-reference everything historically, and I’m sure they’ll be overlapping names and overlapping times.
“Nobody should be popping about 20 years later that was paying for sex with children, thinking they got away with it,” she asserts. “Even if they think, ‘oh, you know, I only pay £20 for a XXXX XXX that one time’ … they should be punished accordingly, and in a court.”
Girl One talks exclusively to the Daily Express (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
Former senior detective Simon Morton, who led the initial grooming investigation in Oxford, admits both he and his force failed at first to understand what was happening.
He told the BBC: “It’s crazy, it’s just ridiculous, the amount of people that were involved. We should’ve done more. It’s tragic.” He believes this type of abuse is “absolutely” still taking place in Oxford.
He said: “We got the core group, that doesn’t mean there isn’t more. I’d like them all convicted, but identification is super hard. The girls were quite often drugged … thrown in a room with a mattress on the floor, and there’d be a procession of men going in all night, all day.”
He says he believed the women’s accounts but added: “It’s another thing trying to take it to court, trying to get a victim a year later to stand up in court, having gone through everything that they go through … to keep opening it up again and again”.
Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said: “The immense courage of these survivors coming forward highlights a bleak reality – far too many abusers are still walking free in our communities.
“Police and prosecutors simply cannot let their foot off the pedal. Every single survivor deserves to know we are fighting their corner, no matter how many years go past.
“Authorities in Oxfordshire must pursue every remaining perpetrator relentlessly, leaving no stone unturned, while ensuring survivors receive the dedicated support they need.”
Members of the Oxford paedophile ring (Image: PA)
Thames Valley Assistant Chief Constable Darren O’Callaghan said: “The impact of sexual abuse of children is lifelong, which is why it is vital that victims and survivors are able to share their lived experience of the abuse they endured. These women have bravely shared their experiences, highlighting the devastation these crimes cause over many years.
“To anyone who has experienced abuse, whether recently or many years ago, I want to be absolutely clear: we are here to listen, we are here to support you, and we will treat you with dignity, respect and compassion.
“If you come forward to report abuse, you will be taken seriously. We will listen to what you tell us, investigate thoroughly, and do everything we can to bring offenders to justice while ensuring you receive the support you need throughout the process.”
Andy Burnham urged to set up ‘war register’ of civilian volunteers as WW3 fears explode
Andy Burnham has been urged to establish a civilian volunteer register in case Britain comes under attack.
Andy Burnham has been urged to establish an emergency register (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has been urged to establish an emergency register of civilian volunteers who could be called upon if Britain comes under attack. The Liberal Democrats have called for the creation of a formal network of civilians willing to assist in the event of a major emergency or attack on the UK. The party’s defence spokesperson said the UK “urgently” needed this network and also called on politicians to be “more direct” with the public concerning the dangers facing the UK.
The proposed register would allow people to voluntarily put their names forward to help during a crisis. A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: “Countries like Finland and others already have these kind of registers out there, and I think it’s something a lot of people would be very willing to sign up to if we gave them the option.” The proposal comes as NATO continues to strengthen its defences along its eastern flank, while senior European figures have warned that Russia‘s increasingly confrontational actions could create further risks for NATO members.
The spokesperson said other countries have these kind of registers (Image: Getty)
The Liberal Democrats have also argued for the creation of a new position of Civilian Readiness Secretary saying the UK should do more to organise non-military resources before a crisis develops.
The proposal comes against a backdrop of heightened concern across Europe about Russia’s actions. NATO says Russia’s war against Ukraine and hostile activities affecting Allied countries have changed Europe’s security environment.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also warned that the threat of attacks by Russia against Europe and France has intensified.
Macron said last week: “In recent weeks, the threat — particularly the Russian hybrid threat — facing Europeans and France has intensified.”