Hull grooming gang: Alleged female victims complain after police officers diverted to deal with summer riots
Two young women who claim to have been repeatedly raped as part of an organised child sexual abuse ring have complained to Humberside Police after being told officers from their investigation have been diverted to deal with cases from the summer riots.
‘Anna’ and ‘Sarah’ – not their real names – were teenagers when Sky News first interviewed them in the summer of 2021.
Now young women they are still waiting for justice and say sometimes, when in town, they still see the men who abused them as children.
The investigation into their allegations was originally wound down in 2021 but was reopened after a Sky News investigation revealed evidence the police seemed to have overlooked.
After submitting the investigation to be reviewed by an independent body, Humberside Police promised to put fresh eyes on the case.
Victims ‘Sarah’ and ‘Anna’ are still waiting for justice two years after police reopened their case
That was two years ago, but in a meeting last month Anna and Sarah were told that officers were only just starting.
“They said they’ve just finished reading through all the evidence from the previous investigation and now they are starting at the beginning, which I think two years is a long time for it to be only at the beginning of the investigation,” Sarah says.
Anna adds: “I was really angry because it made us think ‘how long is it going to go on for?’ This all started in 2016/2017, so it’s been going on long enough already.”
Adding to their frustration is that they’ve been told some officers have been taken off their case to deal with the riots as well as the investigation into a funeral parlour in Hull over the treatment of bodies.
“It’s frustrating because obviously it is serious what they’re looking into, but I do believe that men going around raping and abusing young girls is more important than the riots,” Anna says.
“Why are they so concerned that a couple of people have set a bin on fire in the middle of the town centre, but young girls are out there being raped and forced to do things that they should never, ever have to do,” adds Sarah.
‘Sarah’ and ‘Anna’ often still see the men who abused them as children
“It’s not like it ends with us. It carries on with all the other people after us, after we left the grooming gangs. It’s still going on with the next generation of young girls that they’ll find and it’s never going to stop.”
In a letter to the interim chief constable of Humberside Police, Judi Heaton, the two women say they feel like their case “is neither a priority nor being taken very seriously”.
They add: “It was reopened two years ago after the initial investigation was found to be inadequate. We therefore assumed this error would be rectified with a full and thorough investigation second time around. This hasn’t happened.”
Sarah says she sometimes still sees the men who abused her, one of them very recently.
“He was so close to me, and I felt so sick I that he’d been anywhere near me. It’s a horrible, horrible feeling that comes over you.
“I can see them sometimes in my local Tesco. I can be doing a food shop, and I’ll see them, and they just ruined your day because all day you think is – ‘they’ve seen me’. So are they going to tell their friends that they’ve seen me and is there going to be someone waiting outside for me – all these emotions and thoughts run through your head.”
Anna says one of her abusers has since been convicted of raping a teenager.
She says: “He’s been put in prison for that now. If they’d have listened when I first reported it, then that probably wouldn’t have happened.”
Humberside police told Sky News that this is a complex investigation with victims at the heart of it
Humberside police told Sky News that this is a complex investigation with victims at the heart of it, and some aspects of the investigation are “well advanced”.
Deputy Chief Constable Dave Marshall said: “Child sexual abuse and exploitation is a deplorable and condemnable crime.
“I can offer my utmost assurance that regardless of any other investigation or incident which occurs, Operation Conference remains a priority for Humberside Police.
“We are determined to thoroughly examine every piece of information and evidence available, to ensure we are in a position where we can hold those responsible to account.
“Over the last two years, an untold amount of work has taken place. We are unable to share specific details in order to protect the integrity of the investigation and to not jeopardise any future criminal or judicial proceedings.
Some officers have been taken off the case to deal others including the summer riots
“There is still a way to go, but we are determined that we do the right thing by our victims and seek the justice they deserve, they are survivors of truly horrific experiences. We will continue to do all we can to support and help them in any way we can.”
The government also says combating violence against women and girls is a priority, but for Anna and Sarah – it doesn’t feel like it.
Sarah says they both need to see an end point.
“It’s been nearly six years, and we’ve stopped and started and stopped and started. We are trying to move on with our lives – trying to better ourselves and this is just holding us back.
“We want to be able to live our lives and be able to walk down the street without looking over our shoulders, thinking somebody is going to hurt us.”
Palestine Action can still challenge the decision to ban the group under anti-terror laws after the government lost an appeal.
The group was “proscribed” in July, making it illegal to show any support or affiliation for it, following incidents that included breaking in to an RAF base.
The Home Office appealed after a court granted the group’s co-founder a judicial review and said the ban disproportionately interfered with freedom of speech and assembly.
A woman is led away by police during Palestine Action protest on 6 September. Pic: PA
It said the government should also have consulted the group first.
Despite the ban, nearly 900 supporters were arrested at a single protest in London last month.
The judicial review of the ban was scheduled to begin on 25 November and Friday’s Court of Appeal decision means it can still go ahead.
Palestine Action called it a “landmark victory” and said co-founder Huda Ammori had also been granted permission to appeal on two further grounds.
Reacting after the court’s decision, Ms Ammori called the ban “absurdly authoritarian” and “one of the most extreme attacks on civil liberties in recent British history”.
She said 2,000 people had been arrested since it was outlawed and arresting “peaceful protesters” under the Terrorism Act was a misuse of resources.
The group’s vandalising of aircraft at Brize Norton in June – with two activists reportedly entering on electric scooters – prompted a security review of UK defence sites.
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Supporters of the group vandalised aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in June
Its supporters have carried out numerous protests in the UK, with many involving vandalism and violence.
Last year, it smashed windows and sprayed red paint on Barclays branches and this summer vandalised a Bristol defence technology firm, allegedly assaulting staff and police.
Multiple rallies for the group have taken place in London since July’s ban, with hundreds detained for showing support.
A protest at the start of this month saw another 492 people arrested despite calls for the event to be scrapped after the Manchester synagogue terror attack.
The King will become the first British monarch to pray publicly with the Pope since the Reformation 500 years ago during a state visit to the Holy See next week.
The King and Queen will meet the new pontiff Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace, his official residence, next Thursday during their trip to Vatican City.
In a highly significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor, the King and Queen and the Pope will attend a special ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel celebrating the ongoing work towards unity and cooperation among different Christian churches.
The decision for the King and Pope to pray together during the service will be the first time a monarch and the pontiff have joined together in this type of moment of reflection in the 500 years since the Reformation when, in 1534, King Henry VIII declared himself as head of the Church of England and broke from the papal authority of the Rome Catholic Church.
In another historic step, the King will be made “Royal Confrater” of the Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls.
The abbot of the community and the archpriest of the basilica wished to confer the title and received the Pope’s approval to do so. To mark the occasion a special seat has been made decorated with the King’s coat of arms.
Read more:
King Charles pays tribute to Pope Francis
King and Queen meet Pope Francis at the Vatican
The King will use it during the service, after which it will remain in the apse of the basilica for future use by His Majesty and his heirs and successors.
English Kings had a particular link with The Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls until the Reformation. It is also known as the Papal Basilica where reconciliation, ecumenism and relationships across the Christian faith are celebrated.
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King to pray with Pope
A spokesperson for the Church of England said: “The royal confrater title, whilst it confers no duties or obligations on the King, and makes no changes whatsoever to the formal, constitutional and ecclesiastical position of His Majesty as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, it is a tribute to his majesty and his own work over many decades to find common ground between faiths and to bring people together.”
The trip comes during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee year. Held traditionally every 25 years, “Pilgrims of Hope” is the theme of this jubilee.
The King and Queen met the late Pope Francis in April. Pic: Reuters
The visit will also reflect the joint commitment from both Pope Leo and the King to protect nature and their shared concern for the environment. The service at the Sistine Chapel will have the theme of “Care for Creation” and they will attend a meeting on sustainability.
A spokesperson from the Foreign Office said: “At a time of growing instability and conflict, the UK’s relationship with the Holy See is more important than ever. The Holy See is a key international actor.
“We work with the Holy See to promote human dignity, to promote peace and combat climate change… so His Majesty’s visit will strengthen the UK’s relationship with this crucial and influential global partner.”
Read more on Sky News:
Vatican must do more to help sexual abuse victims
Pope Leo’s revealing birthday interview
Only in 1961 did Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch since the Reformation to make an official visit to the Holy See.
In April of this year, a royal visit had to be cancelled due to the ill health of Pope Francis, but both the King and Queen did meet him privately while on a trip to Rome. It is understood Pope Leo and the King have been actively engaged in how this reorganised visit will look and the themes it will cover.
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