Rotherham abuse scandal: ‘Victims punished’ by report – locals

By Oli ConstableBBC News

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South Yorkshire Police failed to grasp the scale of child sex abuse in Rotherham, a report has found

As a long-awaited report in to officers’ mishandling of widespread child sex abuse in Rotherham finds that South Yorkshire Police were guilty of systemic failings, the BBC asked residents how they felt about their home town and the police force charged with protecting them.

In 2014, a report highlighted how 1,400 young girls were sexually abused in Rotherham. The abuse had spanned 16 years. In response to this revelation, multiple inquiries into the way police and other authorities responded were commissioned.

The latest report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct – an eight-year probe that considered 265 separate complaints against current and former officers – has found the force was ill-equipped to understand or tackle the plight of hundreds of vulnerable children.

Some have criticised the costly investigation, which ultimately resulted in no officer losing their job., though a handful of sanctions were handed down.

While some feel that individuals have emerged from the process unscathed, Rotherham itself has not escaped untarnished from its dark recent history.

Now, when people talk about Rotherham they don’t mention its mining heritage, its historic market or its 15th Century minster. Instead, it is known by many as being the centre of a shameful abuse scandal and the failings of its authorities.

In the wake of the latest report, the BBC visited Rotherham to speak to its residents.

‘Victims punished’

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Danielle Holmes, left, and Tammy Frail, both say they worry about their children’s safety in the town

Sisters Danielle Holmes and Tammy Frail said they thought it was unacceptable that nobody was sacked as part of the latest inquiry.

“The police didn’t do a good enough job to protect people,” mother-of-two Danielle said. “We know a couple of the victims and we know they didn’t get the full support that they probably should have received. I bet they feel like they were punished, not the police.

“They’re going to have to live with that for the rest of their lives.”

Tammy felt the police did not step up to help victims of abuse and the IOPC’s sanctions were not enough.

“If you’re going to the police for help, they should help you. It doesn’t make you feel safe when they only get a final written warning,” she said.

Danielle says what has happened has affected how she is as a parent, with her feeling like she’s “bugging” her 13-year-old daughter when she is out.

“I’m constantly panicked if she goes out. I wouldn’t want her walking around even in daylight.”

‘I don’t tell people I’m from Rotherham’

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Clifton Park was the centre of some of the abuse that took place in the town

“It’s one thing saying you’re from Rotherham, it’s another saying you’re Asian and from Rotherham because they think you’re related to the whole thing,” says Zaakira Ali.

Speaking in Clifton Park, a short walk away from the town centre, Zaakira says she grew up in the town and, as a child, used the park as a cut-through on her way to her mosque, but now she comes here with her son to use the playground.

“The way people respond to Rotherham has changed,” the 25-year-old teacher said.

“When I used to go out of town and people asked about Rotherham, I’d say it was a small town near Sheffield. Now it’s like: “Oh, the one where all the grooming happened?”

“That’s what we’re known for. I tell people I’m from Sheffield, that’s how embarrassed I am.”

She said the punishments handed out to current and former officers found guilty of misconduct were “disgusting”.

“I’m a teacher. If I wasn’t doing my job properly and not reporting these things, I would expect consequences,” she said.

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Rotherham is a minster town, but it is probably best known in recent years for the grooming scandal

Zaakira is not alone in thinking Rotherham has changed. A lot of the people approached did not want to go on record talking about their views of the town.

They said it had changed for the worse and their faith in the police was at rock-bottom.

Some wanted to share their thoughts but stopped short of giving their names, worried about being linked with the reputation of their hometown.

Survivors ‘left on the side shelf’

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Richard Bush was worried about the future of Rotherham with few shops remaining open in the town centre

Richard Bush, 78, said Rotherham was “going downhill, fast” when asked about what he makes of the town.

He has lived here for 60 years and has seen the town centre change a lot in his time. But now, for him, it is worse than ever and he feels its reputation does not help.

“You’ve only got to go through the town centre, all the shops are shutting.”

He was critical of the police’s response, saying victims were left “on the side shelf” with the hope the abuse would go away.

‘We were called terrorists and groomers’

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Boxing gym owner Saif Din said the scandal has had a lasting impact on Asian men across the town

Since the 2014 Jay report, which outlined the initial abuse, Saif Din said it has changed the way all Asian men are treated in Rotherham.

The former taxi driver now runs a boxing gym, but the stigma of what has happened follows him, his friends and his colleagues.

“We were looked at differently whenever there was a terror attack,” he said.

“When the Jay report came out, we were looked at completely differently. You went from being known as just a terrorist, now you’re known as a terrorist and a groomer.”

The town has changed since the abuse was uncovered, including a National Crime Agency operation being set up to identify historic abuse and bring perpetrators to justice.

Next month, Rotherham is a host for the Uefa Women’s Euros, but Danielle Holmes said it needed further investment to change its reputation.

“I’d like to see it get back to how it was years back. Rotherham needs money chucking at it to get it back to how popular it used to be,” she added.

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