At least 60 victims in Merseyside paedophile ring
Merseyside police are investigating allegations that under-age girls were sexually abused by a paedophile ring around St Helens, Accrington and Preston.
Allegations
At least 60 young girls from care homes are feared to be victims of yet another child abuse case that follows similar scandals in Rochdale and Rotherham.
Groups of men, many of whom were taxi drivers allegedly known to care workers at the girls’ homes, are said to have groomed the girls with offers of drink and drugs before raping them.
One young woman, who is now in her 20s, claims that she was 14 when the abuse started, and was held as a sex slave whist care workers turned a blind eye.
She said:
“I went into care at 14. Staff turned a blind eye whilst I
was groomed, battered, kidnapped and raped.
“They (the alleged attackers) knew the staff. Most were taxi
drivers who offered us lifts to school.”
After a few months the girl was moved to Briars Hey home, where she was given cigarettes, alcohol and a phone by one of the taxi drivers, who she said later attacked her in his car after getting her drunk.
A fortnight after this incident, a taxi took her from the home to a house in Preston, where she was raped and then forced to have sex with numerous men for months.
She said:
“There were four or five girls there, all from homes. Two guys
kept an eye on us. We called them ‘The Keepers’.”
She said that when she tried to escape the house, she was hunted down, then gang-raped and beaten.
Her claims have been being investigated by Lancashire Police since 2012.
If you have experienced sexual abuse, and you would like expert legal guidance, contact Hampson Hughes solicitors today on 0800 888 6888 or email [email protected]
