Keighley MP, Robbie Moore is calling for an independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation in West Yorkshire.

Operation Dalesway is gathering pace. Dalesway is the police investigation into child sexual exploitation offences in the Bradford area. West Yorkshire police are uncovering hundreds of offences against girls by grooming gangs and have prosecuted a staggering number of individuals already with many more to come. In my opinion we need an in depth investigation into the sexual exploitation of young girls in Bradford.

David Greenwood, Director and Solicitor in our Child Abuse team comments:

“My team has worked for over 100 women caught up in the Rotherham exploitation scandal. I fear Bradford has its own scandal and it’ll dwarf Rotherham. We’re just seeing the results of many ongoing investigations into CSE in Bradford. Month after month courts are finding gangs of perpetrators guilty of horrendous sexual offending against girls mostly aged between 12 and 15. The police have a long way to go. 

"One of my clients, Fiona Godard, pieced together a document detailing her experience and that of other girls in her children’s home in Bradford. In it she explained how the grooming gangs would pull up outside her children’s home and drive girls away, ply them with drink and sexually exploit them. She knows of at least 50 girls who passed through her care home and were exploited. I passed her document to the police and council but rather than commissioning an Inquiry the council undertook a very limited look at just 6 cases, and appointed a specialist to help it with the problem.

"I’m receiving more and more enquiries about street exploitation of young girls in Bradford. The council and the police should have done more to prevent it and to disrupt the gangs. The situation is very similar to Rotherham where the council was brave enough to commission Professor Alexis Jay and her team to report on council failures.

"I support the Keighley MP, Robbie Moore who wants a Jay-style investigation. If you agree please sign Robbie’s petition here: https://action.conservatives.com/stop-cse/ .”

If you or anyone you know has been affected by this sort of abuse in West Yorkshire or elsewhere and wish to discuss the possibility of bringing a civil action confidentially, then please contact us today. Call 0800 138 4700 or email david.greenwood@switalskis.com .