SEVEN men who sexually abused two girls two decades ago received hefty jail sentences on Friday (13) as a result of Britain's biggest ever investigation into child abuse.
The men were imprisoned for between seven and 25 years after being convicted in June of offences committed in Rotherham, in northern England, in the early 2000s.
The cases stem from the National Crime Agency's (NCA) Operation Stovewood, a decade-long investigation into child sexual abuse that is the largest of its kind in the country's history.
It began in 2014 following the publication of the Jay Report, which sent shockwaves around the country.
It found that at least 1,400 girls were abused, trafficked and groomed by gangs of men of mainly Pakistani heritage in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
The report found that police and social services failed to put a stop to the abuse.
Some 36 people have been convicted so far as a result of the operation, according to the NCA, which investigates serious, organised and international crime.
The latest convictions came at the end of a nine-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court.
The trial heard how the victims, who were aged between 11 and 16 at the time of the offences and were both in the care of social services, were groomed and often plied with alcohol or cannabis before being raped or assaulted.
They would often be collected by their abusers from the children's homes where they lived at the time, the NCA said.
The court heard that the attacks occurred at several locations around Rotherham, including a park, a car in a supermarket car park, a cemetery, and even behind a children’s nursery.
In one instance, a girl was taken to a hotel where she was raped by two men. On another occasion, the same girl was locked inside one of her abuser’s homes, raped on at least two occasions, and only managed to escape by climbing out of a window.
All seven men lived in or around Rotherham at the time of the abuse.
"These men were cruel and manipulative, grooming their victims and then exploiting them by subjecting them to the most harrowing abuse possible," said NCA senior investigating officer Stuart Cobb.
“They were responsible for some of the worst offending we have investigated under Operation Stovewood. I can only once again pay tribute to the victims who were brave enough to come forward, tell their stories and confront their abusers.
“What happened to them can never be undone, but I hope the sentences handed down here will at least give them a sense that their abusers have been held to account and justice has been done. We and our partners will continue to do all we can to support them going forward.”
Operation Stovewood continues to investigate allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
Zoe Becker, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “These seven men deliberately preyed on two young girls they knew were vulnerable and, using drugs and alcohol, exploited them for their own sexual gratification.
“The cruelty and abuse the victims suffered at the hands of these defendants was horrific and has continued to have a lasting impact on their lives today.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank both the victims for coming forward and giving evidence. This has been a complex and challenging case, and it is because of their courage and fortitude that we have been able to bring these offenders to justice.
Becker added, “All children have the right to feel safe and protected. I encourage anyone who has been in a similar position to come forward to report these incidents to the police. It is never too late to seek justice - you are not alone and there is help available.”
Rotherham, a once prosperous industrial town that has suffered years of economic decline, experienced some of the worst anti-migrant violence during this summer's riots in England when hundreds of people attacked a hotel housing asylum-seekers.
(with inputs from AFP)
