Nine accused in new grooming scandal

DCI Andy Aston

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A GANG of nine men — three of them from Oldham — are accused of grooming vulnerable teenagers before sexually abusing them.

The men, of mixed ethnicity and aged 16-47, are said to have befriended a 13-year-old boy to get close to 15- and 13-year-old black girls, who are alleged to have been sexually abused by the gang.

Eight men were arrested yesterday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit sexual acts with a child following raids in Oldham and Rochdale. Police still seek a ninth man.

The victims, from a Rochdale care home, were seen by police after going missing from home three weeks ago. During interviews, one of the girls told officers she thought they had been groomed. The case was passed to Sunrise - Rochdale’s multi-agency team - and police launched an investigation.

Det Chief Insp Andy Aston, from Rochdale Police, said: “It is procedure for us to visit young people that have been missing from home and it was during this that one of the girls mentioned her concerns.”

The men, he said weren’t necessarily an organised gang but some knew each other: “They all worked together to carry out disgraceful offences against these young people.

In 2012 nine Rochdale men — led by Oldhamer Shabir Ahmed — were jailed for grooming and sexually abusing vulnerable white girls from 2008-2010.

Paul Marshall, Rochdale Council’s assistant director for children’s social care, said: “The difference between this case and what happened in 2012 is that we are now working much more effectively to share information and work together.

“Within weeks of this information being received, arrests have been made and this is a very good example of how effectively information is shared within Sunrise.”