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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Rotherham Abuse Scandal - New Interview in Today's Guardian

81 replies

Terfinator · 02/04/2017 21:47

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/apr/01/sammy-woodhouse-interview

(Are we allowed to discuss this?)

One of the victims has waived her anonymity and spoken out about the abuse she faced. Her interview is shocking and brings shame on the support services in the area.

What's even worse is that stuff like this is still going on. Just yesterday, 7 were arrested in Oxford on similar charges (www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-39466980)

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Terfinator · 05/04/2017 20:06

As I said earlier, this was happening in my hometown 10 years ago, except it wasn't with Asian gangs.... it was working-class white British boys. My home town only has a small Asian community and luckily we haven't had any problems with them.

Sadly, the first group to raise the Rotherham issue was the BNP in a documentary. This led to the whole thing being discredited! Angry

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HalfShellHero · 05/04/2017 20:36

The mayor of rotherham at the time was of the same heritage as the perpetrators who has been alleged as tipping off where girls taken into care were . I've heard that a lot from different people how true it is bares thinking about.

HoldBackTheRain · 05/04/2017 21:08

HalfShell I think the Jay report or Louise Casey's report also uncovered the police were tipping off the rapists.

If I remember rightly, the police were called to one of the girls houses and she disclosed multiple rape. She agreed to go straight to the police station with them to do and ABE. While she was at the station waiting to do it, she got a call on her mobile from one of the rapists saying they knew she was at the station and they had her younger sibling and if she made the ABE they would break her siblings leg. From the investigation I'm sure it was concluded that the only people that could have tipped the rapists off as to where she was were the police.

As for this police officer who was being investigated by the IPCC who conveniently got killed by a car - well some might think conspiracy theory, some might think tragic accident, some might think he got bumped off because of what he could reveal. We'll never know.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/06/police-officer-linked-rotherham-inquiry-dies-hit-by-car-hassan-ali

AprilSkies44 · 05/04/2017 21:20

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AprilSkies44 · 05/04/2017 21:31

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AprilSkies44 · 05/04/2017 21:42

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HalfShellHero · 05/04/2017 22:02

A lot of police officers have been investigated re: the scandal there's no way it's possible than some weren't completely bent officers , just no way. It couldn't have happened on this level other wise.

AprilSkies44 · 05/04/2017 22:14

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HoldBackTheRain · 05/04/2017 22:31

April thanks for your post. I am truly sorry if I've offended you and I'm glad you've written what you have. I admit when I found out he had been run over I was suspicious because I didn't know if it really was a tragic accident, if he was being investigated and the blame put on him to detract from other officers possible wrong doing or if he was deliberately targeted for what he might know. I'm sorry you lost your collegeague.

I also see what you mean about it could have been friends of the rapists that tipped them off. I went by the findings of the official report, and I think also that over 40 South Yorks officers are being investigated by the IPCC over their handling of the cases. I agree with half that there's a possibility that some officers were bent. The report also criticized the council and how they gave so many taxi drivers licences who shouldn' have been given them.

I'm not sure we'll ever know the truth though because there doesn't seen to be any accountability anywhere. Sara Thornton and Joanne Simms refused to step down after it was found they did nothing to stop the child abuse in Oxford a few years ago.

I will remember what you've written about your colleague in the future. Sorry again.

HalfShellHero · 05/04/2017 22:39

I'm not saying anything about that particular officer April and youve no right to demand experiences, like i said im from from Rotherham and actually had a nasty experience in taxi aged 14 from a rank that later turned out to be notorious for paedophilia/CSE, if that's gratifying enough for you. perpatrators in cases of this sort. The offenders simply must have had connections higher up, offenders cannot offend at that level without it, its how Saville operated etc, connections.

HoldBackTheRain · 05/04/2017 22:45

I agree half especially re Savile. I think I said earlier on this thread, whoever gave him the keys to Stoke Mandeville probably knew what he was doing. I also read that he regularly held coffee mornings for the police in his Leeds penthouse - on the guise of discussing 'community initiatives'. I find that really hard to believe.

As for the women that reported him years before he died and the CPS didn't charge. Savile had connections everywhere.

I think we'd be really naive not to think that a lot of the time perpetrators of abuse get away with it because they are helped by people in authority. But again I don't know if the truth will ever get out there.

But again April if you knew the officer I was referring to and don't believe he was involved or died in mysterious circumanstances, you know more than me and I'm sorry for upsetting you.

Terfinator · 06/04/2017 00:00

Sadly, the media has been very focused on attacking the Pakistani-heritage rapists, and have left out many of the other perpetrators in this case: the police, care workers, etc.

(Obviously the Pakistani men involved were guilty and should be suitably punished, but it wasn't just them. As others have said, this goes much higher.)

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HatHen · 06/04/2017 00:15

I believe the reason these particular Asian rapists' victims were not from their oen community is because girls from their own community are not vulnerable, do not drink or take drugs, and their freedom of movement is restricted, especially at night. This makes it much harder to make them victims in comparison to the girls (who happened to be white) that they targetted.

Childrenofthestones · 06/04/2017 00:16

HoldBackTheRain
Interesting that you yet again bring up Saville when this thread is about the report in the Guardian about Rotherham and the Asian grooming gangs.
When Saville was all in the news did you deflect from his crimes by pointing out that Asian Grooming gangs are just as bad?
This is exactly the sort of whataboutery and deflection I was talking about up thread.
Why not start thread about Saville.

HatHen · 06/04/2017 00:17

I also don't believe its a race issue (and definitely not a religious issue). There are rapists and peadophiles sadly in every community.

Confusicous · 06/04/2017 00:20

It's only now that we're victims except we're survivors not victims. It's only now the story is acceptable to speak about.

We weren't then. We didn't see ourselves that way either. I'm as guilty as anyone in thinking girls were asking for it then

I have cried many tears over how awful it was for girls years later

HatHen · 06/04/2017 00:25

@Terfinator I agree, it is scary that there were so many professionals paid to look after these young girls who allowed it and enabled it to happen. They are collectively as much to blame as the perpertrators

Confusicous · 06/04/2017 00:26

Since Saville has been mentioned - same attitude re Broadmoor. Women who "deserved" what they got in society's eyes

Maybe not in other cases but it's not much different to how people now joke about people getting what they deserve in prison by other inmates

HoldBackTheRain · 06/04/2017 00:32

Children no I didn't (and I think you know I didn't - bit of a ridiculous question). I mentioned it because another poster earlier made reference to asian grooming gangs and the discussion went on to the police doing nothing for fear of being called racist. I was pointing out that men rape regardless of colour and in my opinion a big problem is how the police and authorities deal with reports of rape. Savile was obviously an example that it wasn't just asian rapists operating in the North (or anywhere in the UK). I don't know how much clearer I can be. It's not deflection it's a response to someone else's post.

HoldBackTheRain · 06/04/2017 00:33

confusicous Flowers

venusinscorpio · 06/04/2017 07:20

Again i dont think it was fear of racism and it doesnt make me uncomfortable - police arent worried about being called racist when they stop and search predominantly ethnic minorities. And many white paepophiles are also not brought to justice. There is a lotof PR around how the authorities deal with rape but the reality is different and rapists of all backgrounds are let off the hook to carry on raping women and children.

It wasn't only fear of racism in the case of Rotherham. But that was undoubtedly part of it. It really isn't necessary to keep minimising it.

HoldBackTheRain · 06/04/2017 07:35

I'm not miniminsing it i just disagree that it was fear of being called racist that stopped the police from acting, for the reasons I've already given. If the authorities didnt minimize rape there wouldnt be so many outrages like rotherham, rochdale, oxford, savile, robert napper, john worboys etc. All of the above could have been stopped much sooner if the police had listened to the first victims and taken them seriously. Common factor is rape and victims ignored not race.

venusinscorpio · 06/04/2017 07:41

I agree that the police didn't listen to the victims. But for social services and the council fear of racism was an issue and that needs to be acknowledged.

HoldBackTheRain · 06/04/2017 07:49

Oh ok, sorry i thought you were referring to the police only. Yes i agree it could be that the council and SS partly fucked up because of fear of being seen as racist. I,m more familiar with the failings of the police in rotherham etc rather than the council and Social services.

venusinscorpio · 06/04/2017 09:00

They did. It's in the Casey report.

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