Oxford Grooming Gang Survivors Say Hundreds of Abusers Remain Free Despite 21 Convictions
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 21
Oxford Grooming Gang Survivors Say Hundreds of Abusers Remain Free Despite 21 Convictions
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 21
Summary
Three Oxford grooming gang survivors told BBC Panorama they still regularly see men who abused them in supermarkets, petrol stations and on local streets, and believe hundreds of perpetrators have never been prosecuted.
21 men have been convicted in the Oxford cases so far, but former senior detective Simon Morton said police only caught a core group and agreed many more offenders likely remain unidentified because victims were drugged, trafficked and struggled to testify.
370 children were estimated in 2015 to have been affected in Oxford, far beyond the six girls in the first 2013 trial, and survivors said investigations did not go far enough after years in which some were not believed.
Thames Valley Police said it is working tirelessly to bring offenders to justice and urged victims to come forward, while the women described lasting trauma, addiction and fear that the abuse may still be continuing.
The Oxford allegations feed into a new national inquiry into grooming gangs across England and Wales, examining why vulnerable children were not protected and whether attitudes toward victims or perpetrators shaped official failures.