Home Secretary Sajid Javid has faced severe backlash from MPs and race equality advocates when he tweeted about “sick Asian paedophiles”. Reacting to conviction of the Huddersfield rape gang, Javid tweeted, “These sick Asian paedophiles are finally facing justice. I want to commend the bravery of the victims. For too long, they were ignored. Not on my watch. There will be no no-go areas”.
The tweet did not go down well among leaders, and was condemned by Labour MP David Lammy, who said Javid's word risked increasing violence against ethnic minorities. “Sajid Javid has brought a great office of state into disrepute. By singling out 'Asians' he not only panders to the far right, but increases the risk of violence and abuse against minorities across the country,” Lammy said. He added the comments were particularly inflammatory as religious hate crimes have risen dramatically in the past year. “It's no coincidence that religious hate crimes have rocketed up by 40 per cent in the past year, as we have witnessed a degradation of political rhetoric towards hate, division, and fear. Whatever the underlying motives of the offenders involved paedophilia, it is an abhorrent crime that affects all communities. It does no service to the victims of this evil to pin the blame on any one group.”
Meanwhile, Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said the government is not doing enough to protect vulnerable people. She said, “The scale of sex abuse in the UK is staggering, the needs of the vulnerable are ignored, and the government isn’t doing enough. Attributing paedophilia to one ethnic group adds nothing to support needed by survivors, or police resources to crack down on predators.”
20 men running grooming gang found guilty
Twenty men have been found guilty of participating in a grooming gang that raped and abused girls as young as 11 in Huddersfield. The accused were convicted of over 120 offenses against 15 girls. Ringleader Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 35, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years, at the Leeds Crown Court. Other members of the gang were jailed for between five and 18 years, however, the court heard many perpetrators are yet to be identified.
During the three trials, jurors heard how the men, all of British Asian descent, mainly Pakistan, preyed on young, vulnerable girls and plied them with drinks and drugs. They then “used and abused at will” in a seven-year “campaign of rape and abuse” between 2004 and 2011. All from Yorkshire, the men went by nicknames like 'Dracula', 'Bully', 'Beastie', and 'Nurse'. Jailing 16 men earlier this year, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said, “The way you treated these girls defies understanding; this abuse was vile and wicker. As cases of sexual abuse with which the courts have to deal, this case comes top of the scale.”
As Dhaliwal, a married, father-of-two, was sentenced, the judge said, “The extent and gravity of your offending far exceeds anything which I have previously encountered. Children's lives have been ruined and families profoundly affected by seeing their children, over months and years, out of control, having been groomed by you and other members of your gang.” The men's hold was such over the girls, a mother said her child cracked her head jumping from a first-floor balcony at their home to get out, after they ordered her to meet them. “Every time I went out something bad happened, I risked my life every time. I was a mess,” the girl said.
Another victim, who could only escape the abuse after her family had to move following a house fire, said it was the best thing. “It was the best thing I ever did, and that's bad saying that burning your house down is the best thing you ever did.” Grooming gangs of England tend to operate in poorer neighbourhoods on the edge of the town, around mini-cab ranks and fast food joints, areas where public scrutiny doesn't have a reach.
During the trials, the court heard how girls would be driven up to remote moorland late at night and abandoned if they refused the men's sexual demands. One victim said her relationship with some of the gang became “one of those things you couldn't get out of.” At house parties, girls would be stuffed with alcohol and drugs before being sexually abused “one by one” by the men, sometimes without contraception. The court heard how they were abused in cars, car parks, houses, a snooker centre, and a takeaway, often with other defendants and fellow victims watching on.
Victims and families said they repeatedly told West Yorkshire Police what was happening but no arrests were made until years later. Det Ch Insp Ian Mottershaw who spoke outside court said, “The investigation into this case has been extremely complex and the investigative team have worked tirelessly for the past five years to ensure that no stone has been left unturned. We welcome the convictions and sentences which have been passed down throughout the year to these depraved individuals, who subjected vulnerable young children to unthinkable sexual and physical abuse.”
