First eight closed grooming gang cases to be reopened
Reviewers believed that potential lines of inquiry in some cases had been missed because of human error.
The first eight closed grooming gang cases have been referred back to police forces for reinvestigation as part of a mammoth national review of hundreds of files where lines of inquiry may have been missed.
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Operation Beaconport is examining cases from between January 2010 and March 2025 which involved two or more suspects accused of sexual abuse, more than one victim, and where no further action had been taken.
It is only considering cases where the suspects are still alive and have not already been reviewed.
In November, 1,273 such investigations from 23 police forces had already been referred to the National Crime Agency team, 236 of which were prioritised because they involved allegations of rape.
At that stage, reviewers believed that potential lines of inquiry in some cases had been missed because of human error.
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NCA director general Graeme Biggar said: “Operation Beaconport is the most comprehensive and complex investigation into child sexual exploitation and abuse in UK history.
“After months of careful joint work with policing to lay the foundations, we have sent the first cases back to forces to be reopened.
"This is the first step toward seeking justice for victims and survivors.
“An investigation of this magnitude will take time.
"Operation Beaconport is working with determination to get it right for victims and survivors.”