𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Sir Sadiq Khan has been skewered over grooming gangs by the Daily Express at London City Hall. Our Investigations Editor, Zak Garner-Purkis, criticised the Mayor of London as he appeared before members of the Police and Crime Committee at City Hall in London on Wednesday (June 3).

A panel of Assembly Members listened in horror as Zak and fellow journalists from the BBC, GB News and Evening Standard detailed the results of their investigations into gangs’ child sexual exploitation.

When asked if children were being groomed and sexually exploited by gangs in the capital, all four journalists said yes.

Sir Sadiq has previously faced allegations he has been too dismissive of widespread abuse in London, along with the Met Police and local authorities across the city.

Zak, detailing the results of his investigations across London, told the committee: “It is happening right now. All of you [on the committee] have children in your wards who are affected by this.”

He recalled media reports of a 2002 child prostitution ring in Islington which failed to result in convictions and the tragic case of a young woman who took her own life in 2012 after she was abused by a gang. Letters detailing her ordeal were lost by police and there were serious failings in her case, the panel heard.

Zak said: “Because there has been a denial from the very top – from the Mayor of London, from the head of the Met Police, from the councils themselves – we’ve ended up in a situation where these gangs don’t go away. They keep doing what they’re doing.

“If they’re not brought to justice, if the councils don’t even acknowledge their existence, it continues and it persists.”

Committee members heard how “vulnerable” children from London would be trafficked around the UK for abuse by men from all ethnic backgrounds in systemic sexual exploitation.

BBC journalist Sima Kotecha told members some abuse survivors had been passed between rival county lines drug gangs to pay off debts.

Asked whether institutions had neglected the abuse, Zak said there was a total lack of transparency.

He said: “Often the only cases we know about are the worst ones when the child dies and it ends up on the public record. It is disgraceful that that is the only time we get transparency.”

The committee heard victims and perpetrators came from diverse backgrounds, with gangs drawing youngsters in with drugs and alcohol before carrying out their vile abuse.

Gangs were also making contact with children on social media platforms, including Snapchat, the committee heard.

Children in care were particularly “vulnerable”, according to the reporters, with some gangs infiltrating care homes to lure youngsters and whistle-blowers afraid to speak out for fear of reprisals.

Zak called for greater protections for those who speak out about grooming gangs, telling the committee the scale of abuse in children’s care homes was “terrifyingly massive”.

Committee members from across London heard that the abuse happens in private homes, hotels and above business premises, sometimes with the knowledge of abusers’ family members. They were told men and boys are also among the victims.

The meeting, chaired by Conservative AM Susan Hall, heard that data collection about the ethnicity of the perpetrators is a work in progress, and Operation Beaconport is a step in the right direction.

Beaconport is a national scheme aimed at uncovering failings in tackling group-based child sexual exploitation. Some 9,000 cases are being reviewed.

A report by Baroness Casey detailed over a decade of inaction. All 12 of its recommendations, including a new national police operation to get more abusers jailed, have been accepted by the Government.

Zak praised Scotland Yard for its success in solving murders, but he told the committee it was baffling abusers have yet to appear in court.

He said: “There are investigations that are ongoing, but what baffles me is why they are taking so long. The Met need a win here. Let’s go after these gangs – make it a priority for the Met – who think they’re untouchable.”

The Labour Mayor of London was last year accused of stonewalling questions about grooming gangs from Assembly Members.

Social workers, charities, survivors and others have said it is rife across the capital, including Chris Wild, who has worked in the care system for 15 years and dealt with over 40 cases of child sex exploitation where no action was taken.

Sir Sadiq has previously insisted both he and the Met Police are committed to doing everything they can to protect women and children from organised sexual exploitation.

He said abusers must face the full force of the law and £223million is being invested in tackling violence against women and girls.

Scotland Yard has said it has improved how the force investigates group-based offending. A Met spokesperson said in October: “Our commitment to safeguarding all victims of such terrible offences and bringing those responsible to justice is absolute.”