Seven men convicted in latest UK 'grooming gangs' trial
Seven men who sexually exploited two vulnerable girls in northern England have been convicted in the latest trial over a decades-old "grooming gangs" scandal.
Greater Manchester Police said the men were convicted after a trial involving a total of 50 offences, including rape and indecency with a child, which occurred between 2001 and 2006 in Rochdale.
Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella told jurors at the start of the trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that the group's two victims were "passed around for sex, abused, degraded and then discarded".
Scarmardella also said the two girls were known to social services and that it was "no secret" they were having sex with older South Asian men such as the defendants - a situation with similarities to other grooming gangs.
The men had all denied the charges but were unanimously convicted by the jury after three weeks of deliberations.
The scandal returned to the top of the political agenda in the United Kingdom earlier this year following criticism from Elon Musk of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The owner of social media platform X accused Starmer of failing to tackle the scandal when he was the UK's chief prosecutor, which Starmer angrily rejected.
A 2014 inquiry concluded at least 1400 children were subjected to sexual exploitation in Rotherham, northern England, between 1997 and 2013.
The report said the majority of known perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage and that in some cases local officials and other agencies had been wary of identifying ethnic origins for fear of upsetting community cohesion or being seen as racist.
Grooming gangs in other towns and cities in England have also prompted criminal prosecutions and local inquiries.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Seven men who sexually exploited two vulnerable girls in northern England have been convicted in the latest trial over a decades-old "grooming gangs" scandal.
Greater Manchester Police said the men were convicted after a trial involving a total of 50 offences, including rape and indecency with a child, which occurred between 2001 and 2006 in Rochdale.
Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella told jurors at the start of the trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that the group's two victims were "passed around for sex, abused, degraded and then discarded".
Scarmardella also said the two girls were known to social services and that it was "no secret" they were having sex with older South Asian men such as the defendants - a situation with similarities to other grooming gangs.
The men had all denied the charges but were unanimously convicted by the jury after three weeks of deliberations.
The scandal returned to the top of the political agenda in the United Kingdom earlier this year following criticism from Elon Musk of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The owner of social media platform X accused Starmer of failing to tackle the scandal when he was the UK's chief prosecutor, which Starmer angrily rejected.
A 2014 inquiry concluded at least 1400 children were subjected to sexual exploitation in Rotherham, northern England, between 1997 and 2013.
The report said the majority of known perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage and that in some cases local officials and other agencies had been wary of identifying ethnic origins for fear of upsetting community cohesion or being seen as racist.
Grooming gangs in other towns and cities in England have also prompted criminal prosecutions and local inquiries.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Seven men who sexually exploited two vulnerable girls in northern England have been convicted in the latest trial over a decades-old "grooming gangs" scandal.
Greater Manchester Police said the men were convicted after a trial involving a total of 50 offences, including rape and indecency with a child, which occurred between 2001 and 2006 in Rochdale.
Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella told jurors at the start of the trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that the group's two victims were "passed around for sex, abused, degraded and then discarded".
Scarmardella also said the two girls were known to social services and that it was "no secret" they were having sex with older South Asian men such as the defendants - a situation with similarities to other grooming gangs.
The men had all denied the charges but were unanimously convicted by the jury after three weeks of deliberations.
The scandal returned to the top of the political agenda in the United Kingdom earlier this year following criticism from Elon Musk of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The owner of social media platform X accused Starmer of failing to tackle the scandal when he was the UK's chief prosecutor, which Starmer angrily rejected.
A 2014 inquiry concluded at least 1400 children were subjected to sexual exploitation in Rotherham, northern England, between 1997 and 2013.
The report said the majority of known perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage and that in some cases local officials and other agencies had been wary of identifying ethnic origins for fear of upsetting community cohesion or being seen as racist.
Grooming gangs in other towns and cities in England have also prompted criminal prosecutions and local inquiries.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Seven men who sexually exploited two vulnerable girls in northern England have been convicted in the latest trial over a decades-old "grooming gangs" scandal.
Greater Manchester Police said the men were convicted after a trial involving a total of 50 offences, including rape and indecency with a child, which occurred between 2001 and 2006 in Rochdale.
Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella told jurors at the start of the trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that the group's two victims were "passed around for sex, abused, degraded and then discarded".
Scarmardella also said the two girls were known to social services and that it was "no secret" they were having sex with older South Asian men such as the defendants - a situation with similarities to other grooming gangs.
The men had all denied the charges but were unanimously convicted by the jury after three weeks of deliberations.
The scandal returned to the top of the political agenda in the United Kingdom earlier this year following criticism from Elon Musk of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The owner of social media platform X accused Starmer of failing to tackle the scandal when he was the UK's chief prosecutor, which Starmer angrily rejected.
A 2014 inquiry concluded at least 1400 children were subjected to sexual exploitation in Rotherham, northern England, between 1997 and 2013.
The report said the majority of known perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage and that in some cases local officials and other agencies had been wary of identifying ethnic origins for fear of upsetting community cohesion or being seen as racist.
Grooming gangs in other towns and cities in England have also prompted criminal prosecutions and local inquiries.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
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