My mum murdered my dad – he's not a monster but I fought to free her and forgive her for brutal killing
A MAN who fought to free his mum from jail after she murdered his dad has spoken out about how he forgave her for the brutal killing.
David Challen, 38, campaigned relentlessly to free his mum Sally from prison in 2019, nine years after she killed his dad Richard - her husband - with a hammer.
9
David Challen, 38, has spoken out about his family's ordeal
Credit: PA:Press Association
9
Sally Challen murdered her husband Richard - David's dad - in August 2010 by bludgeoning him with a hammer
Credit: Collect
9
David said he eventually forgave his mum and fought for her eventual release from prison in 2019
Credit: Dan Charity - The Sun
Despite Sally having suffered decades of coercive control by her husband, David says Richard was "not a monster", adding that he was "deeply complex".
In August 2010,
Sally was eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, before her murder conviction was quashed and she was released from jail in 2019.
Now, ahead of the release of a new book David has written on his family's ordeal, the 38-year-old has recalled his battle to free his mum.
Read More on UK News
Speaking to The Sunday Times, David said reading about the
He explained: "It highlighted the normality of these men in our society.
"My dad was not a monster. He was deeply complex.
"If society labels them monsters, it's washing its hands of how they are created."
Most read in The Sun
After Sally was jailed, David began to unearth chilling details about how his dad had subjected Sally to decades of domestic abuse - keeping it hidden from him and his brother James.
They discovered how their mum had been dragged down stairs, been raped by Richard on a family holiday to Los Angeles, and had attempted suicide at age 21.
My wife threatened me with a knife & beat me with bottles
Sally had been subject to coercive control - a pattern of abuse where someone is made to feel dependent, isolated, or scared.
She was even forced to hand over her salary throughout her painful ordeal.
These discoveries prompted David to begin years of ardent campaigning, eventually leading to an appeal which reduced her conviction to manslaughter.
Helped by a law passed in 2015 which recognised psychological manipulation as a form of domestic abuse, Sally walked free from HMP Send, Surrey, in 2019.
The landmark case saw Sally's murder conviction quashed due to new psychiatric evidence, with her final sentencing acknowledging the impact that years of controlling abuse had on her.
As a result, roughly three thousands murder convictions are being reassessed by the Criminal Cases
Review
Commission to factor in examples of coercive control - with at least five cases having been reopened.
9
David fought relentlessly for years to appeal Sally's murder conviction
Credit: PA:Press Association
9
Richard had subjected Sally to coercive control for decades
9
Sally's conviction was eventually quashed in 2019, following an appeal
Credit: PA:Press Association
In his new book, The Unthinkable: A Story of Control, Violence and My Mother, due to be released on Thursday, David showcases his struggle to come to terms with his father's abuse, and how it's affecting his life even now.
David also highlights how more needs to be done to protect victims of coercive control.
Speaking on the BBC show Sunday with
Domestic abuse - how to get help
DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone - including men - and does not always involve physical violence.
Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship:
Emotional abuse
- Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse - gaslighting - being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to
Threats and intimidation
- Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you
Physical abuse
- This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten.
Sexual abuse
- Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent.
If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers:
on
0808 2000 247
for free at any time, day or night
Men who are being abused can call Respect Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or
on
0182 3334 244
Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring
on
0800 999 5428
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999
Remember, you are not alone.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime.
Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse.
He said: "She'd done the worst act anyone possibly could do. [She] took away my father."
Following the change in the law regarding coercive control, David, now a domestic abuse campaigner, said he finally had a way to describe the "insidious nature" of his dad.
David added that not having a name for the abuse had "robbed us of our right to have an ability to protect ourselves."
He explained that he had to dig up his past in order to "find the child" he had left behind.
David continued: "But I knew I was born into this world with a gut feeling that [there was] something inherently bad about my father, and I never knew why.
"I normalised the coercion and control in my home, this life of servitude that my mother lived under... sexual violence was routine."
9
Richard and Sally had married in 1979
Credit: Courtesy of the Challen Family
9
Sally with her two sons, James and David, on her first day home after her release
9
Richard with the couple's two sons
Credit: Courtesy of the Challen Family
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Useless conman, 23, sat other people's theory driving tests for them but failed 11 times
A USELESS conman sat people's theory driving test for them — but failed 11 times. Qounain Khan, 23, was paid to impersonate learners whose English was not good enough to sit the written test — despite not having a licence himself. He would change his hairstyle to turn up at But Khan clocked up the fails as his face did not match the mugshot on the He passed a 12th test in Cardiff in June 2023 but by then the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency had rumbled him. It found he sat tests in Chesterfield, Surrey, Carlisle, Worcester, Redditch, Dudley, Swindon, Bradford and Wolverhampton over a 19-month period. Read More on UK News Prosecutor Justin Davies said: 'He was taking these tests while he was not the holder of a driving license himself. 'He operated across the country for 19 months playing the lead role as an impersonator. 'But he was able to be identified, despite wearing his hair in different styles.' The university student, from Birmingham, who had debts from gambling, drinking and drug use, had claimed that he was given £300 to stand-in for a learner and only got paid if they passed. Most read in The Sun He was jailed for eight months at Cardiff crown court after admitting charges including 12 of fraud by false representation. None of the learner drivers were prosecuted, but were sent warning letters by the DVSA. 'I'm a driving instructor and here are the 5 most common questions asked on the theory test'- 1 Qounain Khan was paid to impersonate learners whose English was not good enough to sit the written test — despite not having a licence himself Credit: Jon Rowley
The Irish Sun
17 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Nigel Farage casts doubts over Lucy Letby's murder convictions as he becomes latest MP to wade into debate
NIGEL Farage has revealed he has "doubts" over the Lucy Letby case as he becomes the latest MP to join the debate. Letby, 35, from Hereford, is Advertisement 6 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he was beginning to have 'doubts' about the case Credit: Peter Powell 6 Killer nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of ruthlessly murdering seven babies in her care Credit: SWNS 6 Some insist Letby has been made a scapegoat for hospital failings Credit: Getty Letby lost two attempts to last year. The Reform UK leader spoke about the case off the back of Jeremy Hunt's comment piece in the The former health secretary called for an "urgent re-examination" of Letby after "serious and credible" questions were raised by experts. The MP urged Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, to "speed up their normally painfully slow process". Advertisement Read More Speaking on GB News, Mr Farage agreed that he was also beginning to have 'doubts' about the case. He said: 'I have a feeling, actually, Jeremy Hunt might be right about the Lucy Letby case. "I'm just beginning to get more and more doubts about that issue." Cheshire Constabulary is still conducting a review of deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women's Hospital during Letby's time as a nurse from 2012 to 2016. Advertisement Most read in The Sun The force have also launched another probe into allegations of corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Meanwhile Lady Justice Thirlwall is due to publish in November the findings from the public inquiry into how the former nurse was able to commit her crimes. Argentina's Lucy Letby' in court after murdering 5 newborns & trying to kill 8 more in chillingly similar case to UK's baby killer The Sun revealed earlier this year what Letby's own parents, Jonathan, 79, and Susan Letby, 65, said about the case. In one correspondence, seen by The Sun, Letby's parents reveal they "firmly believe" their daughter's convictions will be "the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history". Advertisement They also said they're pleased "public opinion is beginning to sway" in her favour "at last". 'FRESH' EVIDENCE This all comes after Letby's lawyers say they have Mark McDonald told reporters the convicted child serial killer has "a new hope" as he visited the Birmingham offices of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). He said the new evidence "blows the case out the water". Advertisement He was there to Also passed to the CCRC, which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, was a separate report from seven medics which claims the results of insulin tests on two infants, which a jury concluded Mr McDonald said in April: "Today I've put in 23 expert reports from 24 experts from across the realm covering eight separate countries," he said. "Those expert reports completely demolish the prosecution's case that was put before the jury. Advertisement "It is now hoped that the CCRC will not take long to look at this evidence and refer it back to the Court of Appeal. "These reports show that no crime was committed... This blows the case out the water. The charges Letby was convicted on in full Child A, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby injected air intravenously into the bloodstream of the baby boy. COUNT 1 GUILTY . Child B, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the baby girl, the twin sister of Child A, by injecting air into her bloodstream. COUNT 2 GUILTY . Child C, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said Letby forced air down a feeding tube and into the stomach of the baby boy. COUNT 3 GUILTY . Child D, allegation of murder. The Crown said air was injected intravenously into the baby girl. COUNT 4 GUILTY . Child E, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby murdered the twin baby boy with an injection of air into the bloodstream and also deliberately caused bleeding to the infant. COUNT 5 GUILTY . Child F, allegation of attempted murder. Letby was said by prosecutors to have poisoned the twin brother of Child E with insulin. COUNT 6 GUILTY . Child G, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby targeted the baby girl by overfeeding her with milk and pushing air down her feeding tube. COUNT 7 GUILTY, COUNT 8 GUILTY, COUNT 9 NOT GUILTY. Child H, two allegations of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby sabotaged the care of the baby girl in some way which led to two profound oxygen desaturations. COUNT 10 NOT GUILTY, COUNT 11 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child I, allegation of murder. The prosecution said Letby killed the baby girl at the fourth attempt and had given her air and overfed her with milk. COUNT 12 GUILTY. Child J, allegation of attempted murder. No specific form of harm was identified by the prosecution but they said Letby did something to cause the collapse of the baby girl. COUNT 13 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child K, allegation of attempted murder. The prosecution said Letby compromised the baby girl as she deliberately dislodged a breathing tube. COUNT 14 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child L, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said the nurse poisoned the twin baby boy with insulin. COUNT 15 GUILTY. Child M, allegation of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby injected air into the bloodstream of Child L's twin brother. COUNT 16 GUILTY. Child N, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby inflicted trauma in the baby boy's throat and also injected him with air in the bloodstream. COUNT 17 GUILTY, COUNT 18 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT, COUNT 19 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child O, allegation of murder. Prosecutors say Letby attacked the triplet boy by injecting him with air, overfeeding him with milk and inflicting trauma to his liver with "severe force". COUNT 20 GUILTY. Child P, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said the nurse targeted the triplet brother of Child O by overfeeding him with milk, injecting air and dislodging his breathing tube. COUNT 21 GUILTY. Child Q, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby injected the baby boy with liquid, and possibly air, down his feeding tube. COUNT 22 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. "I'm absolutely confident that the expert evidence that has appeared post-conviction totally undermines the safety of the conviction. "I'm very confident that we're going to get back to the Court of Appeal." Advertisement Asked how Letby "is doing", he said: "I don't talk about Lucy herself as a person but to say this: She's read all the reports, she's seen the reports, we have a new hope now. "A new hope that, in fact, the truth will come out. So yes, she has a new hope." Last month, lawyers for the families of Letby's victims rubbished the international panel's findings as "full of analytical holes" and "a rehash" of the defence case heard at trial. Mr McDonald also gave the CCRC a separate report on the insulin cases of Child F and Child L from seven experts including two consultant neonatalogists, a retired professor in forensic toxicology and a paediatric endocrinologist. Advertisement Their report summary concluded the jury was misled in a number of "important areas" including medical and evidential facts, and that key information on the insulin testing procedure was not submitted. It added that the biomechanical test used in both cases "can give rise to falsely high insulin results" due to the presence of antibodies which can interfere with the outcome. On Thursday, Mr McDonald released the independent panel's case summaries of all 17 babies that were said by trial prosecutors to have been deliberately harmed on the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit. The 14-strong panel concluded that no criminal offences had been committed at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016 and instead provided alternative causes of deterioration. Advertisement Among the findings of the panel, working pro bono for Letby's defence team, was that baby boy Child C died following ineffective resuscitation from a collapse after an "acute small bowel obstruction" that went unrecognised, rather than from a deliberate administration of air. Child P, a triplet boy, was also found by the jury to have been fatally injected with air but the panel ruled he died from a collapsed lung that was "suboptimally managed". Letby's experts said there was no evidence of air embolism - in which bubbles form and block the blood supply - in Child E, a twin boy, and that bleeding was not caused by inflicted trauma but from either a lack of oxygen pre-birth or a congenital blood vessel condition. The panel said insulin-related levels for Child E's brother, Child F, insulin were within the norm for preterm infants and it did not prove that synthetic insulin was administered. Advertisement The same conclusion was reached for Child L, another twin boy that Letby was convicted of attempting to murder by insulin poisoning, and both cases were said to have involved sub-standard medical management of hypoglycaemia. BOMBSHELL EMAIL Meanwhile, an explosive email has also been found which appears to cast more doubt on the prosecution claims that Letby was caught "red-handed". A new email - sent on May 4 2017 to colleagues at the Countess of Chester Hospital - suggests there could be discrepancies over the chronology of events. The memo, revealed in April, is a significant boost to Letby's legal fight to overturn her convictions. Advertisement Dr Ravi Jayaram is the only hospital staff member to have claimed to see Letby act suspiciously and link her behaviour directly to babies' deaths. Medical experts provided case summaries on all 17 babies from the Letby trial An international panel of medical experts has provided case summaries on all 17 babies who featured in the 10-month trial of Lucy Letby. The 14-strong panel concluded that no criminal offences had been committed at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016 and instead provided alternative causes of deterioration: - Baby 1 (known as Child A in the trial): The prosecution said the boy was murdered by an injection of air into the bloodstream which caused an air embolism where bubbles form and block the blood supply. The panel found no evidence of air embolism and said the child had died from thrombosis, where a blood clot forms in a vessel. - Baby 2 (Child B): The prosecution said Letby attempted to murder Child A's twin sister by also injecting air into her bloodstream. The panel found no evidence of air embolism and said the child had collapsed from thrombosis. - Baby 3 (Child C): The prosecution said the boy was murdered with air forced down his feeding tube and into his stomach. The panel said the child died following ineffective resuscitation from a collapse after an "acute small bowel obstruction" that went unrecognised. - Baby 4 (Child D): The prosecution said the girl was murdered by an injection of air into the bloodstream. The panel found no evidence of air embolism and ruled the child died of systemic sepsis, pneumonia and disseminated intravascular coagulation (blood clotting). Issues with failures to give relevant antibiotics were also identified. - Baby 5 (Child E): The Crown said Letby murdered the twin boy with an injection of air into the bloodstream and she also deliberately caused bleeding to the infant. The panel said there was no evidence of air embolism and bleeding was caused either by a lack of oxygen pre-birth or a congenital blood vessel condition. - Baby 6 (Child F): The prosecution said Letby attempted to murder Child E's twin brother by administering insulin. The panel ruled that the child's insulin levels and insulin/C-peptide ratio did not prove that exogenous insulin was used and were within the norm for pre-term infants. It added that there was poor medical management of the child's prolonged hypoglycaemia. - Baby 7 (Child G): The prosecution said Letby attempted to murder the girl by overfeeding her with milk and forcing air down her feeding tube. The panel said there was no evidence to support air injection into the stomach or overfeeding. The infant's vomiting and clinical deterioration was due to infection, it found. - Baby 8 (Child H): Jurors cleared Letby of one count of attempted murder and failed to reach a verdict on a second count. Prosecutors said the nurse sabotaged the girl's care in some way which led to two profound oxygen desaturations. The panel said the deteriorations were due to medical mismanagement of a tension pneumothorax where air is trapped between the lung and chest wall. - Baby 9 (Child I): The prosecution said Letby murdered the infant by injecting air into her bloodstream and stomach. The panel said it found no evidence of air injections and that the baby died of breathing complications caused by respiratory distress syndrome and chronic lung disease. - Baby 10 (Child J): Jurors could not reach a verdict on an allegation of attempted murder. No specific form of harm was identified by the prosecution but they said Letby did something to cause the collapse of the girl. The panel said the deterioration was caused by sepsis and there was no evidence to support malicious airway obstruction. - Baby 11 (Child K): The prosecution said Letby attempted to murder the girl by deliberately dislodging her breathing tube. Among its findings the panel said there was no evidence to support a dislodged endotracheal tube (ETT) and the clinical deterioration was caused by use of an undersized ETT. - Baby 12 (Child L): The Crown said the nurse poisoned the boy with insulin. The panel said the infant's insulin-related levels were within the norm for pre-term infants and there was no evidence of deliberate administration. - Baby 13 (Child M): Prosecutors said Letby attempted to murder Child L's twin brother by injecting air into his bloodstream. The panel said there was no evidence of air embolism and his collapse was caused by sepsis or a heart problem. - Baby 14 (Child N): The Crown said the boy was the victim of attempted murder by inflicted trauma in his throat and an air injection into his bloodstream. The panel said there was no air embolism and it was likely his blood oxygen levels dropped due to his haemophilia condition or routine cares, which was "exacerbated" by repeated attempts to insert a breathing tube. - Baby 15 (Child O): The prosecution said Letby murdered the triplet boy by injecting air into his bloodstream and inflicting trauma to his liver. The panel said he died from liver damage caused by traumatic delivery, resulting in bleeding in the abdomen and profound shock. - Baby 16 (Child P): Prosecutors said Letby murdered Child O's brother by injecting him with air. The panel said there was no evidence to support that mechanism and that he died from a collapsed lung that was "suboptimally managed". - Baby 17 (Child Q): Jurors could not reach a verdict on an allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the boy by injecting liquid, and possibly air, down his feeding tube. The panel said there was no evidence to support air injection into the stomach and the child deteriorated because he had early symptoms of a serious gastrointestinal problem, or sepsis. He testified that the nurse was seen standing over Baby K's cot as the infant's condition deteriorated. Taking the stand, the doctor said Letby failed to call for help as the newborn's condition declined, insisting the nurse had virtually been caught "red handed". But prior to the start of the police investigation, Dr Jayaram wrote in an email to colleagues: "At time of deterioration ... Staff nurse Letby at incubator and called Dr Jayaram to inform of low saturations." Advertisement The revelatory memo appears to contradict previous testimony, with the evidence not making it into documents handed to cops before the start of the investigation. In the newly released email, Dr Jayaram also suggested Baby K's fragile premature condition was instead the cause of death, saying: "Baby subsequently deteriorated and eventually died, but events around this would fit with explainable events associated with extreme prematurity." The note sees him suggest that the baby's death was explained by issues associated with extreme prematurity. Appearing at the 2024 trial, the doctor framed her behaviour as suspicious, telling the court: "Lucy Letby was stood next to the incubator. Advertisement "She wasn't looking at me. She didn't have her hands in the incubator." Asked by prosecutor Nick Johnson KC whether he had "any call for help from Lucy Letby?", he replied: "No, not at all. "I was surprised that the alarm was not going off, although my priority was (Baby K) and I didn't question it at the time.'In retrospect, I was surprised that help was not called, given (Baby K) was a 25-week gestation baby and her saturations were dropping." However, at the recent Thirlwall Inquiry, the doctor expressed regret at not raising the alarm over the nurse's behaviour sooner Advertisement He explained: "I lie awake thinking about this ... I should have been braver." 6 Human rights barrister Mark McDonald Credit: PA 6 Dr Ravi Jayaram was the only medical witness at Letby's two trials who was able to point to behaviour directly linking her to babies' deaths Credit: Rex 6 Letby, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders Credit: AFP Advertisement
The Irish Sun
21 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Our proud city is scarred by grooming gang scandal – monster paedo still lives on OUR street… kids play outside his home
IT was a scandal that shocked and appalled the nation and has left what residents call a 'permanent stain' on a once proud northern town. From as early as the late 90s, a child sex abuse ring preyed on vulnerable girls as young as 12 in Rochdale, with victims claiming they felt 'betrayed' by police and social workers who 'turned a blind eye'. 12 Grooming gang leader Qari Abdul Rauf is living a comfortable life in Rochdale Credit: NB PRESS LTD 12 The former taxi driver and mosque teacher now works as a food delivery driver Credit: nb press ltd 12 Rauf (top left) was part of a nine-strong gang of Asian men who abused up to 47 vulnerable girls in Rochdale Credit: PA:Press Association 12 The street in Rochdale where Abdul Rauf lives Credit: Zenpix Now, as Prime Minister What makes it worse is the fact a prominent grooming gang leader is still resident on one of its tree-lined streets - much to the disgust of his neighbours. He was part of a nine-strong gang of Asian men convicted of sex trafficking and other offences including rape, trafficking girls for sex and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child in May 2012. Up to 47 girls as young as 12 were plied with booze and drugs and gang-raped across Rochdale during the gang's two-year reign of terror. Child sex fiend Rauf trafficked a 15-year-old girl, using his taxi to drive her to secluded areas to sexually abuse her and ferry her to a flat where he and others abused her. The 55-year-old was caged for six years but released in November 2014, after serving just two years and six months of his sentence. Then-Home Secretary Theresa May ordered him and fellow gang member Adil Khan, who got a 13-year-old girl pregnant, to be sent back to Pakistan in 2014, as it would be "conducive to the public good". Most read in The Sun But Rauf used human rights law to evade deportation, and successive governments failed to deport him. Pakistan has also refused to take him back. Over a decade later Rauf and Khan remain in Rochdale, where their victims are forced to live alongside them. Ethnicity of child sex abuse suspects will be logged after truth about Asian grooming gangs was 'dodged for YEARS' Sickened neighbours have dubbed Rauf the "monster paedo" and wish he would be deported - while even he has admitted he cannot believe he is still living in the former mill town. David Carter, 69, who lives a few doors away from Rauf, told The Sun: "I'm horrified he's living near us. "He's a monster - he should never be in this country, never mind living in the same town where he caused so much misery. "It's appalling he's not been sent back to Pakistan. My grandchildren come to visit, so we always keep a close eye on him. "You see kids play in the street near his home. It's disgusting he's still here - he makes my skin crawl. 12 Abuser Abdul Rauf is noow living in an ordinary house in Rochdale Credit: Zenpix 12 David Carter lives a few doors down from Rauf says the paedo "makes his skin crawl" Credit: Zenpix "You only see him jump in the car - I think he knows everyone hates him. "An Asian man who lives in the street has said that he would be stoned to death if he ever made it back to Pakistan." Retired train driver David added: "The whole grooming scandal is a stain on our town. It's scandalous what happened." Mum-of-two Sharon Hughes, 32, added: "I can't believe this monster paedo is still here. "I tell my kids not to cycle near his house. It's terrifying this man still lives in our street." One mum told The Sun that grooming by Asian gangs was "rife" in the Greater Manchester town, admitting she was one of its victims, plied with booze, cannabis and ecstasy and driven to darkened flats. They would give us booze, weed and ecstasy. They would take us to flats and we would be in scary situations... They preyed on poor white girls Melissa Walking near a tram stop in the town centre, 37-year-old Melissa recalled: "It nearly happened to me when I was 13. "Two Asian men, who were in their 30s or 40s, would pick us up and drive us around. "They would give us booze, weed and ecstasy. They would take us to flats and we would be in scary situations. "They would try and kiss you. I knew it was wrong and that I had to get out of there. "Thankfully I was never abused or raped, but they gave us drugs all the time. "I didn't go to the police. It feels like we were abandoned to these men. They preyed on poor white girls." Scathing review 12 Baroness Casey's bombshell report found that councils and police deliberately covered up the abuse Credit: PA 12 The national inquiry was prompted by the recent convictions of another grooming gang in Rochdale during a five-year reign of terror between 2001 and 2006 (pictured) Credit: GMP The subject of grooming gangs has been thrust back into the spotlight this week following the bombshell report by Baroness Casey. The scathing review found councils, police and the Home Office repeatedly "shied away" from dealing with uncomfortable questions on the ethnicity of rapists who targeted young white girls. It revealed police and council leaders deliberately covered up the abuse - predominantly by men of Pakistani origin - because they feared being called racist. Baroness Casey's review also found that asylum seekers and foreign nationals are involved in a "significant proportion" of live investigations into grooming gangs across the UK. The national inquiry was prompted by the recent convictions of The seven men "passed" victims around for sex and preyed on them in squalid flats and car parks in the town between 2001 and 2006. They groomed the girls from the age of 13, and made them their "sex slaves" by plying them with gifts, including alcohol and drugs. Last week Mohammed Zahid, 64, Kasir Bashir, 50, Mushtaq Ahmed, 66, Roheez Khan, 39, Mohammed Shahzad, 43, Nisar Hussain, 43, and Naheem Akram, 48, were convicted. Three of the abusers - Zahid, Ahmed and Bashir - were born in Pakistan and worked as stallholders on Rochdale's indoor market. Father-of-three Zahid - known as Boss Man - gave free underwear from his lingerie stall to victims. 'Betrayed a generation' One Rochdale victim previously stressed her belief that police and social workers ignored the horrifying crimes because of political correctness. Girl A, as she was known in court, was raped multiple times by sick grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed, known as 'The Daddy' to his victims. He plied her with alcohol above a dingy takeaway. Ahmed, 72, who was in the same gang as Rauf, was caged for 22 years. Now 24, she told the BBC: "The police and social workers betrayed a generation of girls by turning a blind eye. "They knew exactly what was going on — they just didn't want to stop it. "They knew the girls were under-age, they knew the men abusing them were Asian. They were just too politically correct to admit it. "They thought they'd be called racist if they told the truth." The police and social workers betrayed a generation of girls by turning a blind eye. They knew exactly what was going on — they just didn't want to stop it... They thought they'd be called racist if they told the truth Girl A A government report in August 2014 found that 1,400 girls were groomed and abused between 1997 and 2013. Other estimates have put the figure as high as 2,000. In 2017, BBC1 drama The Girls, starring Shameless actress It prompted major criticism of the authorities as police, prosecutors and Rochdale Council were forced to apologise for their failings. 'We should all hang our heads in shame' 12 Taxi driver Karamat Hussain thinks it will take a long time for the town's reputation to recover Credit: Zenpix When The Sun visited Rochdale this week, residents told of their shame that the abuse went unchecked under their noses. Grandmother Beryl Jones, 64, said: "It's sickening what went on. "The town has been shamed by it and the fact that no-one believed these girls. We should all hang our heads in shame." Taxi driver Karamat Hussain, 59, told The Sun: "What happened was disgusting. "It was shocking that it was ignored for so long. I didn't know anything about it and was stunned when I read about it. "I think it is going to take a long time for the town's reputation to recover. Read more on the Irish Sun "When people talk about Rochdale they now think about grooming gangs which is so sad. "Much more should have been done to help these girls and stop all the abuse." 12 BBC1 drama The Girls, which starred Maxine Peake, covered the grooming gang abuse that happened in Rochdale Credit: BBC Handout 12 Rochdale residents fear the town's reputation is forever stained Credit: Zenpix 12 Local residents are disgusted that the paedophile was never deported Credit: Zenpix Grooming gang crackdown unveiled BARONESS Casey's report sets out a series of recommendations, which the government has accepted in full. 1. Strengthen the law : Tighten the law so that any adult who has sex with a child under the age of 16 is automatically charged with rape, removing current legal grey areas that allow abusers to avoid proper punishment. 2. Address Historical Failings : Through a national inquiry pursue justice for past cases and hold accountable those who failed to act. 3. Enhance Intelligence Gathering : Improve the collection and analysis of information to combat exploitation more effectively. 4. Improve Inter-Agency Collaboration : Foster stronger cooperation and information-sharing among agencies. 5. Mandatory Reporting : Require all services to share information when a child is at risk. 6. Introduce Unique Child Identifiers : Implement a system to ensure children are consistently and accurately identified across services. 7. Modernise Police Systems : Upgrade technology to enable seamless communication and prevent missed opportunities. 8. Treat Grooming Gangs as Serious Organised Crime : Employ the same robust strategies used to combat other forms of organised criminal activity. 9. Investigate Declining Reports : The Department for Education must examine why reports of child abuse are decreasing and take corrective action. 10. Understand the Underlying Drivers : Conduct in-depth research into the factors underpinning grooming gangs, including cultural and online influences. 11. Regulate the Taxi Industry : Prevent exploitation by restricting the use of 'out-of-area' taxi drivers. 12. Commit Government Resources : Ministers must allocate funding and ensure measurable progress is achieved.
