Grooming victims let down by system, report finds

by LAUREN CODLING

VICTIMS of grooming gangs were persuaded to “change behaviour”, leading to offenders reacting with “arrogant persistence” as they believed they would be not punished for their crimes, a new report into the Newcastle sexual exploitation scandal has found.

The review found an “unhelpful” message was conveyed to perpetrators, signalling they were unlikely to be prosecuted or stopped from continuing to abuse their victims.

The Joint Serious Case Review Concerning Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adults for Care and Support in Newcastle-upon-Tyne report was released last Friday (23).

It came in response to the aftermath of Operation Sanctuary, an investigation launched by Northumbria Police in 2014 after a series of allegations of sexual abuse came to light.

Last August, Operation Sanctuary led to 18 people being found guilty of trafficking and sexually abusing teenage girls and young women for several years in northern England.

The offenders, most of Asian origin, raped or assaulted the victims after drugging them or threatening them with violence at specially-convened “parties” where they were supplied with drugs and alcohol.

Authored by David Spicer, a barrister and former chair of the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, the review analysed sexual exploitation

in Newcastle from 2007 to 2015.

It covered the experiences of eight female victims, six of whom were white and two from an ethnic minority background.

Spicer said many UK cities could learn a “great deal” from Newcastle and how it has dealt “effectively" with the sexual exploitation cases.

However, he noted that prior to 2014, Northumbria Police’s actions resulted in minimal impact for victims.

“Before 2014, perpetrators were not consistently investigated, disrupted and prosecuted and professionals felt there was little chance of securing convictions for various reasons,”

Spicer noted.

The report stated historical information was not regularly accessed and incidents were treated as separate occurrences with no strategy to link information together to “improve

understanding of the whole picture” of the abuse.

Spicer also found that while perpetrators were not punished, the police attempted to persuade victims to change behaviours and not return to the abusers.

He noted this led to consideration of deterrent punishments of victims for being drunk and disorderly or for making false allegations when accounts were changed.

“This sent an unhelpful message to perpetrators,” he said. “They were unlikely to be prosecuted or prevented from continuing to abuse, encouraging an arrogant persistence.

“It also had a significant impact on victims who learnt that nothing would be done against perpetrators.”

The report details several accounts by victims who suffered abuse.

“I didn’t tell my friends I had been raped... I didn’t think they would believe me,” one said. “They thought I wanted to go with him. It was on my birthday – I thought no one would

believe me.”

Another victim said the situation became more “sinister” at parties where older men were present.

“There were parties with men a lot older, 30 or 40 years-old, when previously [they were] 20 or 21 years-old,” she recalled.

Other victims addressed the struggles they faced as a result of the abuse, and the mental health problems and flashbacks they have endured since.

“I suffer from a [personality disorder] …It impacts on every part of my life, including my family because of the trauma and abuse that I suffered,” one victim admitted.

Darren Best, the temporary deputy chief constable of Northumbria Police, stated despite the force being praised for their effective handling of the case, work still needs to be done.

“We are far from complacent and recognise we still have work to do to ensure we consistently identify victims and carry out comprehensive investigations on their behalf,” Best said.

“Preventative work is key. A wide range of safeguarding work is being carried out across the city involving the police, local authority, health, education, businesses and communities.

“What cannot be clearer is that safeguarding the vulnerable is everybody’s business.”