Police have arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of rape of a child under 13 in Oldham, as part of our ongoing investigation, Operation Sherwood, into non-recent child sexual exploitation.
This arrest marks GMP’s second under the operation, and relates to an offence reported by one victim as having taken place between 2005 and 2006. The man has been interviewed and placed on police bail, with significant child protection conditions to adhere to, whilst our investigation continues.
Operation Sherwood is a multi-agency operation launched in 2022, following the publication of ‘The review into historic safeguarding practices in the borough of Oldham’. This is being led by our Child Sexual Exploitation Major Incident Team (CSE MIT), a dedicated and specialist resource responsible for investigating the most serious and complex cases involving offences against vulnerable young people.
Detective Chief Inspector Guy Laycock of CSE MIT said, “What is most important throughout this journey is ensuring the victims and survivors are at the centre of all we are doing. We need to get this right for them, following all possible lines of enquiry and building strong evidential packages to present to the CPS as soon as we possibly can do.
“In this case, the victim is aware of this update and is being supported by specialist, independent services.
“We will be unrelenting in our pursuit of justice for those who have been harmed, no matter the passage of time.”
