"In the early hours of the morning, the cars would pull up outside the Bradford children's home where Fiona Goddard lived as a teenager. Staff were worried about the men coming to collect her records show she was felt to be at high level of risk from unknown males but the policy was not to go to the police unless a child's behaviour became concerning or she was seen being actively dragged into a car."
"And that's how a 14-year-old ends up being groomed and repeatedly raped, under the noses of the adults charged with protecting her, by a gang who were finally convicted only when she was in her mid-20s. It took another two years for Bradford council to publish the findings of a review showing just how badly the victims had been failed by multiple agencies. It's hard to imagine the courage it must have taken to rebuild her"
Fiona Goddard lived in a Bradford children's home and was groomed and repeatedly raped from age 14 by a gang. Staff noticed men collecting her and records showed she was assessed as high risk from unknown males, but policy prevented police involvement unless behaviour became concerning or she was seen being dragged into a car. The gang were convicted only when she was in her mid-20s. Bradford council published a review two years later revealing how multiple agencies failed victims. Goddard waived anonymity and joined a survivors' panel but quit with others after losing trust in the government, the inquiry process, and proposed chairs. Allegations include police complicity and an ongoing criminal investigation.
#child-sexual-exploitation #institutional-failure #grooming-gangs #survivor-advocacy #police-misconduct
Read at www.theguardian.com
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