New investigation into grooming gangs finds abuse in '85 local areas'

The former Reform UK MP, now sitting as an Independent, set up his probe before Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced there would be a new Government-backed inquiry in June.

On Tuesday, Mr Lowe posted a statement on X that the Rape Gang Inquiry has found 85 areas where gang-based child sex abuse cases were discovered from its research, including historic cases.

The statement said hundreds of survivors, family members and whistleblowers have approached the inquiry since it launched, and "thousands" of Freedom of Information requests were also submitted as part of the research.

It added "patterns of predominantly Pakistani men, combined with gross negligence from public bodies, are identifiable".

Further details of the methodology and findings were not included in the release.

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Areas such as Aberdeen City, Brent, Canterbury, Leicester, Norwich were on a full list posted by the Rape Gang Inquiry on X, which added "there will be more" outside of its research.

The inquiry, registered as a community interest company, also said some of the cases go back as far as the 1960s.

It comes just a week after the founder of the Survivors’ Archive research project, Donna Edmunds, claimed she had been dropped as a panel member from the inquiry without being told and branded the probe as "an utter shambles".

On X she said the inquiry team "had no idea what they were doing" and had "dumped the whole thing" on campaigner Sammy Woodhouse, a survivor of the Rotherham grooming scandal.

Mr Lowe told the Evening Standard the claims were false and "everything has been done professionally", and the wellbeing of survivors was their "sole priority".

But on Tuesday, Ms Edmunds further criticised the inquiry, posting on X: "The inquiry needs to be done by trained researchers who have a track record of collecting evidence from traumatised people, and the survivors need support from trained therapists who can support them through this extremely traumatic process.

"Those people cost money. If what has been raised isn’t enough (and we all know it isn’t), then @RupertLowe10 needs to be true to his word and raise more, not just brush it off as too much trouble!

"It’s completely irresponsible to conduct the inquiry without proper safeguards in place."

A fundraiser to carry out Mr Lowe’s inquiry has raised nearly £620,000, and hearings to hear from victims and survivors and experts are expected later this year before a final report.

The crowdfunder said costs will be kept minimal and transparent, covering costs such as panel and legal advisor fees, venue hire, travel expenses for witnesses, and that any left over funds would be donated to grooming exploitation survivor charities.

The focus on grooming gangs comes after the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) led by Professor Alexis Jay found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales.

The seven-year probe made 20 recommendations in the final report published in 2022, as it described child sexual abuse as an "epidemic" across the two nations.

The wait for the recommendations to be implemented hit the headlines in January, after criticism from billionaire X owner Elon Musk over the UK’s handling of child grooming scandals.

The Government then announced plans including a rapid audit looking at the scale of grooming gangs across the country to be carried out by Baroness Louise Casey.

The crossbench peer published a report in June that found the lack of data showing the ethnicity and nationality of sex offenders in grooming gangs was "a major failing over the last decade or more" and listed 12 recommendations, including for a national inquiry.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs the findings from the report were "damning" and the Government will take action on all of the 12 recommendations immediately.

Ms Cooper also said Baroness Casey’s analysis of data from three police forces found "clear evidence of overrepresentation among suspects of Asian and Pakistani heritage men" and cited examples of organisations avoiding the topic for fear of appearing racist or raising community tensions.

In January, ministers also vowed to establish at least five local inquiries into grooming in those areas, but shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised them, adding the Conservatives believe "as many as 50 towns could have been affected".

Mr Lowe, who is chairman of the Rape Gang Inquiry, said: "It is over two months since Labour promised nationwide action, yet the Government has been seemingly idle since.

"The message from survivors is clear: get on with it. There have been too many broken promises; now is the time for action and for hard justice to be delivered by those in power."

Mr Lowe’s inquiry does not have the power to compel witnesses to provide evidence, but its website states if a witness refuses to appear it will note the absence in the final report and could consider legal action.

Reacting to the release, Lucy Duckworth, policy lead at the Survivors Trust and Act on IICSA, said the findings of 85 areas were "not surprising", adding: "There is no town this isn’t happening in. This is everywhere, everyone is at risk of child sexual abuse.

"Another inquiry is not the way forward. We have the knowledge and recommendations to make a change.

"It’s coming up to the three year anniversary on IICSA. We have research, let’s not just keep going: 'What’s the problem?'"

Mr Lowe’s inquiry said the research identified patterns of exploitation by predominantly Pakistani men, but Ms Duckworth said: "We simply don’t have the data to understand why this happens in the areas and certain cultures it does.

"One of the calls from IICSA to get that data.

"But we know that child sexual abuse has no boundaries – every child is at risk from it, so everyone must take this problem seriously."

Ms Duckworth said she hopes the Home Secretary prioritises working to act on the IICSA recommendations when Parliament is back from recess next week.

She added: "I call on the Home Secretary to publish details of the many strategies announced which will work towards preventing child sexual abuse, including details of the timetable for IICSA recommendations."