Oxford grooming gang survivors say hundreds abused them and many remain free
Survivors of an Oxford grooming gang have told Panorama that hundreds of men abused them and many perpetrators are still free, as a former detective warns abuse continues.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Survivors of an Oxford grooming gang have said hundreds of men abused them and that many of the perpetrators are still free in the city. The allegations were made in a Panorama investigation. Three survivors spoke to reporters.
One survivor, identified only as Rachel, said she was 13 when she reported the abuse. She said the police response was: 'You need to just stop doing what you're doing if you're gonna carry on prostituting yourself. Then this is gonna be the outcome, isn't it?' Another survivor, called Sarah, said many of the men who abused her are still part of everyday life. She said they are everywhere, in places such as shops, petrol stations and restaurants.
Former detective Simon Morton, who led Operation Bullfinch, the investigation that exposed the gang, said 21 men have been convicted to date. He accepted police were slow to recognise what was going on. Asked how many could have been involved, he said hundreds. He described the offending as ten years' worth and said the number of people involved was 'crazy' and 'ridiculous'. He also said he believed child sexual exploitation is still taking place.
A serious case review in 2015 found no evidence that fear of being perceived as racist was a factor. A new national inquiry is underway into why girls were not protected in Oxford and other places such as Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford.
Official responses:
- Thames Valley Police said the impact of child sexual exploitation is lifelong and that it works tirelessly to investigate these horrific crimes and bring offenders to justice.
- Oxfordshire County Council said protecting children remains its highest priority. It said it had apologised for past failings and had improved its response to child sexual exploitation.
The Panorama report, Grooming Gangs: Why Were We Ignored, was due to be broadcast at 8pm and made available on iPlayer. Support details for victims of sexual abuse or violence were also signposted.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| A 2015 serious case review found no evidence that fear of being perceived as racist was a factor, and a new national inquiry is under way. | |
| Operation Bullfinch has led to 21 convictions, and a former detective accepted that police were slow and said hundreds could have been involved. | |
| Survivors told Panorama that hundreds of men abused them in Oxford and that many perpetrators remain free. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This bulletin focused on survivor testimony and police failure. It used a distressing first-person account and a former detective's warning that hundreds may have been involved, then balanced the claims with official responses from Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council and noted a wider national inquiry.
- “You need to just stop doing what you're doing if you're gonna carry on prostituting yourself”
- “I think we failed the girls I think society failed the girls”
- “hundreds Yeah, this is ten years worth of offending. It's crazy. It's just ridiculous the amount of people that Were involved”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.