Sir Keir Starmer acknowledges the justice system’s failures in protecting vulnerable girls from grooming gangs during his time at the CPS
Rochdale: So, Sir Keir Starmer recently had to face some tough truths about the justice system. He admitted that a lot of vulnerable girls were let down while he was in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Back in 2012, after the Rochdale grooming scandal, he said that many offenders had escaped justice for years because the authorities just didn’t take the abuse seriously. It’s pretty shocking, right?
He also mentioned that the ethnicity of the suspects played a role in how cases were handled. It’s a complicated issue, and he recognized that prosecutors didn’t fully grasp the nature of the abuse happening.
His comments came after it was revealed that the CPS had dropped a case against a gang of rapists, even though there was solid evidence against them. That’s just heartbreaking.
After the CPS decided to abandon the case, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) also dropped their wider investigation into grooming gangs in the area, which meant the abuse just kept going on.
This all started with a young girl who reported being raped by a group of men linked to a local takeaway. When police arrived at the scene, they found her in distress, but instead of helping her, she ended up being arrested for criminal damage.
When she finally got to talk to the officers, she revealed the awful truth about what had happened to her. She even handed over her underwear, which had DNA evidence from one of her attackers.
Two men were arrested, and the police sent the evidence to the CPS. But in July 2009, a CPS lawyer decided the victim wouldn’t be seen as credible, and the case was dropped. This was just nine months after Starmer took over as DPP.
It really shows how hard it was for victims of child sexual exploitation to get justice. They were often ignored by police and social services, and when their complaints were taken seriously, prosecutors would still find reasons not to move forward.
Police even said they hesitated to pursue cases because they didn’t think the CPS would take them seriously. It took two more years before the CPS finally reviewed the case and charged the suspects with rape.
In May 2012, nine men were found guilty of grooming gang offenses. They had exploited girls as young as 13, using drugs and alcohol to manipulate them. It’s just sickening.
Nazir Afzal, who was the chief crown prosecutor at the time, admitted there were serious failings in how the case was handled. He even removed the lawyer who made the original decision from all sex offense cases.
Starmer led a review into how the CPS dealt with the Rochdale case and called for a national analysis of child sexual exploitation cases. He acknowledged that ethnicity was a sensitive issue that needed to be addressed.
He said prosecutors shouldn’t shy away from discussing it, but the real problem was how victims were treated. There was a lack of understanding about their credibility.
Various inquiries have shown that officials often turned a blind eye to child sexual abuse, fearing accusations of racism. In Telford, for example, over 1,000 girls were abused, and police were hesitant to act.
Reports have indicated that some social care staff were advised to avoid mentioning the ethnicity of perpetrators in their reports. This led to a culture of fear and inaction.
Starmer’s revised CPS guidance in 2013 aimed to change how prosecutors approached child sexual exploitation cases. It included a list of behaviors that shouldn’t undermine a victim’s credibility.
But even after that, a report in 2014 criticized the CPS for slow prosecutions and lack of engagement. Now, calls for a public inquiry into the justice system’s failings are growing.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, emphasized that the inquiry should look into the CPS’s conduct during Starmer’s time as DPP.
In the heart of this scandal, a gang of men abused girls as young as 12 in Oldham and Rochdale. The indifference shown by police and council officials to these victims is just appalling.
An independent inquiry was set up to investigate claims that Oldham Council was covering up the abuse. The review found serious flaws in how GMP and the council safeguarded children.
Some of the men involved in the abuse had been reported to the police years earlier, but nothing was done. It took far too long for justice to be served.
One victim, Sophie, was turned away from a police station when she sought help after being assaulted. Instead of getting help, she was picked up by men who went on to rape her. It’s just heartbreaking.
Shabir Ahmed, one of the ringleaders, was a welfare rights officer, which gave him access to vulnerable kids. Despite multiple allegations against him, the police failed to act until years later.
It’s a tragic story of how the system failed these girls, and it’s a reminder that we need to do better to protect the most vulnerable in our society.
