Survivors of child grooming gangs in the UK have voiced deep-seated frustration, claiming they are being “denied justice” following revelations that crucial evidence may have been destroyed due to significant delays by the Home Office. The possibility of lost records has ignited fears that the full truth about these horrific crimes may never come to light.
The Home Office has acknowledged that delays in formally requesting councils, police forces, and other agencies to preserve records could have resulted in the disposal of vital evidence. It has emerged that it took seven months for the department to initiate the process of securing information pertinent to grooming gang investigations.
A Survivor’s Anguish and Accusations of Cover-Up
Elizabeth Harper*, who was subjected to horrific abuse for four-and-a-half years from the age of 14 by numerous men of Pakistani heritage in Rotherham, Yorkshire, believes the government’s actions have compounded the suffering of survivors. “How many children, who are now adults, are trying to fight for justice and now have to go through this additional process?” she questioned. “How are they going to continue their battle without those files? By delaying and destroying evidence, they have denied justice.”
The 38-year-old views these latest revelations as a continuation of systemic government failures. Her experience fuels a deep-seated fear that authorities are deliberately attempting to conceal the truth.
“Everybody has always known that there were files missing,” Ms Harper stated. “The latest news puts a final stamp on it and shows that we were actually telling the truth. Yet again, it has been proved.” She added, with palpable anger, “This is what the authorities do in this country. They cover it up, sweep it under the carpet, get rid of it, and destroy or corrupt it.”
National Inquiry Faces Skepticism
These developments come as the national inquiry into grooming gangs is set to commence next week, under the leadership of Baroness Anne Longfield, the former children’s commissioner. However, Ms Harper harbours significant doubts about the inquiry’s potential to uncover the full extent of the abuse. She feels that survivors are consistently relegated to the “bottom of the pile of everything,” a sentiment that led her to resign from the inquiry’s victims and survivors liaison panel in October, alongside three other survivors.
“I don’t believe the whole truth surrounding grooming gangs will ever be told,” Ms Harper asserted. “This is because of the implications we are also seeing today. They are finally admitting that the files are not where they are supposed to be. That they are gone, and it actually makes them complicit in the abuse.” She further elaborated, “They are being corrupt and they fear racial tensions.”
Ms Harper suggested that the loss of evidence could be a deliberate act. “It could be a knee jerk reaction to the national inquiry because they have put up every barrier they could to not let it happen. Or, someone has destroyed it because they knew they were going to get caught.”
The Chain of Delays and Missed Opportunities
The prolonged delay in formally requesting the preservation of records followed a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted by Robbie Moore, the Member of Parliament for Keighley & Ilkley. Mr Moore described the findings as a “staggering failure,” particularly given that the retention of crucial records was a key recommendation made in Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock’s national audit in June of the previous year. He expressed grave concerns about the potential loss of vital data and hinted at the possibility of legal action against the Home Office.
The FOI requests revealed that the Home Office did not begin contacting councils, police, or other agencies until January 14th, a full seven months after Baroness Casey’s initial recommendation. This delay is considered particularly critical, as many of the alleged offences occurred between 2010 and 2020. Many local authorities and agencies operate under policies that permit the destruction of records after six years, making timely intervention paramount.
The Criticality of Evidence for Survivors
Ms Harper highlighted that “historical failings” in previous cases, including instances where accusations were allegedly not followed up by police officers, make the preservation of files even more critical for survivors. “In my case alone, I went to court 18 years after the event,” she explained. “We haven’t got things like DNA evidence because they never took it. We haven’t got witness statements or anything like that.”
“The majority of our evidence relies on witnesses and files. It is another way of denying us justice,” she concluded.
Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, has formally written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, seeking an explanation for the Home Office’s months-long delay in preserving material related to grooming gangs. Dame Bradley emphasised the integral nature of this information to the public inquiry.
In her letter to Ms Mahmood, Dame Bradley stated: “The failure to provide timely direction to local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies about the need to retain relevant documents means that some records which may be relevant to the independent inquiry into grooming gangs might have been destroyed.” She further questioned, “What assessment has the Home Office made of the consequences – including for possible future legal action – of not directing local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies not to destroy records which may be relevant to the independent inquiry into grooming gangs?”
The Conservative MP for Staffordshire Moorlands expressed concern that some records may have already been lost. She pressed further in her letter: “Has the Home Office asked local authorities, police forces and other relevant agencies whether they have destroyed any records that may be relevant to the independent inquiry into grooming gangs? If so, what have you found? If not, will you request this information?” She also inquired about the potential consequences for any agency found to have destroyed relevant records, given the lack of government direction to retain them.
The national inquiry into grooming gangs is also set to investigate claims of cover-ups by councils. This includes examining the group-based child sexual exploitation that occurred in Rotherham from the late 1980s until 2013, which is estimated to have impacted around 1,400 girls. The inquiry will possess full statutory powers, enabling it to compel witnesses to attend and to draw upon criminal investigations, including a new nationwide investigation by the National Crime Agency.
*The woman involved in this piece asked to use a pseudonym to protect her anonymity.
The Home Office has been approached for comment on these serious allegations.
