Police and local councils in Oldham failed to protect some children from grooming and sexual exploitation, a major report has concluded.
An independent review found that “some children had been failed by the agencies that were meant to protect them because child protection procedures had not been properly followed”, but said there was no evidence of a cover-up by the authorities.
The report also details how a 12-year-old girl who was raped multiple times in one day was severely let down by the police and Oldham Council.
The review, commissioned in 2019 by Oldham Council, found a “structural flaw” in the multi-agency system that was set up to tackle child sexual exploitation, leading to some perpetrators “not being apprehended earlier”.
However, it said there was no evidence to suggest senior managers or councillors sought to “cover-up” the existence of child sexual exploitation.
No evidence of ‘widespread’ abuse in shisha bars, taxi companies and children’s homes
The review investigated the role of shisha bars, taxi companies and children’s homes in the sexual abuse of children, after allegations on social media, but found no evidence of “widespread” abuse within, or related to, these settings.
However, children as young as 13 and 14 were known to be “sexually exploited” in shisha bars in 2011.
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The reviewers were also concerned about two cases where taxi drivers were accused of “sexually assaulting and raping female passengers”.
The review says Oldham Council did “everything possible” to publicise the threat of child sexual exploitation and “consistently attempted” to address it, something that Greater Manchester Police sought to “mirror”.
But the reviewers also found the quality of casework for at-risk children was generally “very poor” when they looked at a sample of 10 complex cases, and that there was a failure to “appropriately initiate multi-agency child protection procedures”.
Sky News has spoken to one woman who featured in the report, who was raped several times when she was just 12 years old.
She told Sky News she wished to waive her right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse. Her name is Sam.
Sam said she had been drinking with her friends in a local churchyard when a man had sexually assaulted her. She went to Oldham police station to report the attack but said she was dismissed by the desk clerk.
“They just told me to go home. There were two men at the door that offered to take me,” says Sam. She says the desk clerk let her leave with the men.
Naively, Sam went with them, but instead of taking her home they sexually assaulted her in a car.
After they abandoned Sam she asked a stranger for directions. He said he would help her but instead took her to a house where she was horrifically abused by him and others.
Over a 24-hour period, eight men attacked her and she was raped multiple times.
Only one man, Shakil Chowdhury, now 54, was jailed in 2007 for raping Sam that night.
The review team state that the council and Greater Manchester Police failed to protect Sam and made subsequent denials which “created the impression that both agencies were more concerned about covering up their failures than acknowledging the harm that had been done to a vulnerable young person”.
Responding to the review, Sam told Sky News: “I was left horrified and in shock when I found out the new evidence, especially the police knowing the offenders’ identities for 16 years.
“The cover-up is still continuing, I have zero trust in Greater Manchester Police and Oldham Council. What has happened to me and campaigning for justice has had a profound effect on my life and my family. A public inquiry needs to happen.”
Maggie Oliver, the former GMP detective who turned whistleblower, said: “Another day, yet another report about the failures of a police force to protect the most vulnerable in our society, even when there is irrefutable evidence to prosecute offenders and safeguard children.
‘Catastrophic failings’
“This report yet again clearly evidences catastrophic failings by the force and their repeated attempts to cover up and hide these failings both from the victims and from the public they serve, and that is extremely worrying.”
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “This report continues the process of shining a spotlight on past failures in Greater Manchester.
“There were serious failings and victims were let down, particularly [Sam].
“Whilst there was no evidence of a cover-up, we must not flinch from acknowledging shortcomings.”
Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, said: “I want to offer my sincere apologies to everyone affected by the events considered in the report.
“Our actions fell short of the help that they had every right to expect and were unacceptable. I am sorry for the hurt and ongoing trauma they have suffered because of what happened to them.
“I intend to meet directly with [Sam] and those that have been supporting her through this very difficult time and I welcome being able to apologise to her in person.
“However, I would also like to take the opportunity today to state publicly that I am very sorry for the failings in how we responded to her call for help; for how we did not record or sufficiently investigate the crimes committed against her and did not do enough to listen and support her during subsequent reviews we undertook of her case.”
The leader of Oldham Council, Amanda Chadderton, said: “We fully accept the findings of this independent report.
“It highlights clear failings, where our services at the time were not good enough to protect vulnerable young people suffering the most awful abuse.
“For that I am deeply sorry… I do hope, however, to offer some reassurance that, as a council, we haven’t stood still since the time period the review refers to.”
