The report into grooming gangs found evidence of ‘over-representation’ among male suspects of Asian and Pakistani heritage in local data
It found evidence that the authorities refused to examine the ethnicity of offenders for ‘fear of appearing racist’
and there was a failure to gather robust national data about the ethnicity of offenders
The audit noted that a significant proportion of these cases appear to involve suspects who are non-UK nationals and/or who are claiming asylum in the UK.
There was deep rooted failure to treat children as children and protect them from rape and sexual violence and vulnerable young children were singled out for grooming with perpetrators walking free because the law ended up protecting them
There was Deep-rooted institutional failings as organisations looked the other way. Blindness, ignorance, defensiveness and prejudice all played a role
It recommends that a change in the law so adult men who have sex with 13-15 year olds receive mandatory rape charges, mirroring the approach taken in France
