A social worker for Manchester City Council has been arrested Operation Green Jacket, which is investigating offending against vulnerable young people in the South Manchester area in the early 2000s.
The 77 year old was arrested in Chadderton on suspicion of indecent assault. He has been taken into custody to be questioned.
At the time of the alleged offence in 1994, the man was a social worker for Manchester City Council. He has since retired and is no longer in a position of trust.
The arrest marks the 70th of Operation Green Jacket which next month will hit an important milestone with its first trial commencing on 3 March 2025 at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court. Christopher Oates (44), of Stockport, has been charged with three counts of engaging in underage sex with a 14-year-old girl; one count of intentionally causing a 14-year-old girl to be sexually exploited; one count of intentionally causing a 17-year-old girl to be sexually exploited; one count of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Detective Chief Inspector Zaheer Ali from our CSE MIT said: “Our focus rightly remains on our victims and survivors who have bravely come forward to speak to us about what they experienced, trusting us to pursue those responsible, and bring them to justice.
“It takes such courage for victims and survivors of sexual abuse to speak up, which is why it is so important that we work closely with a variety of specialist partners to ensure they are at the heart of everything we do and maintain an investigative pace which they feel comfortable with.
“Our work on this investigation continues and will not relent until we have explored all available lines of enquiry to bring suspects to court and to bring justice for survivors.”
