A survivor of child sexual exploitation has said she can now “live my life” and knows “my voice matters because I was believed” as she urged other victims to come forward if they feel ready, after getting long-awaited justice following a GMP investigation.
The victim was one of two girls abused by some of the seven men today (1 October) given prison sentences totalling 174 years after being found guilty of 50 child sex offences in Rochdale between 2001 and 2006.
Both survivors – now women – gave powerful statements in court about the devasting impact of the abuse they suffered. They have been supported throughout our investigation by dedicated officers and specialists in the St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester.
Abused by three of the men as a teenager, ‘girl B’ wrote a victim impact statement that spoke of her lack of faith in the police before our specialist Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigations Team (CSE MIT) approached her in 2021.
She told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court: “Meeting someone who believed and understood everything meant I could trust for the first time. It is important to know that the team who have worked on my case have been amazing.
“I want these victims to know that if they feel ready to deal with that happened to them they shouldn’t wait, they should go to the CSE team because they will do a good job. It doesn’t matter how much time has gone by it is still possible to get justice.”
The second survivor came forward to us in 2015, prompting Operation Lytton, which has so far seen 12 men convicted of 72 offences. Twenty more men are due to stand accused in trials over the coming months.
‘Girl A’ told the court: “I knew I had to be brave and continue to tell my story of my abuse for myself to get justice and for the next generation. I have female family members and I want to protect them from the damage that been caused to me.
“This case has been a big personal commitment for me it has taken a long time. I fully understand the reason why it has taken so long and it upsets me to read negative comments on social media in regards to the police taking their time. The public do not understand the lengths the police have had to go to with the information I have provided to them.”
