Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, announced that 287 additional cases of child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs have been identified across England and Wales. She proposed a disregard scheme allowing victims under 18 who were previously prosecuted for soliciting prostitution to have their convictions wiped. This initiative acknowledges that these individuals were victims of grooming, not offenders. Furthermore, Cooper urged police forces to review previous cases and indicated government plans for new legislation regarding fast-tracking asylum cases and enhancing monitoring through a digital border control system. These developments are part of a broader effort to address rising extremism and improve child protection.
"We need to look at the action we need to take so that people do not carry around those criminal convictions for the rest of their lives."
"Cooper said the government was considering a disregard scheme for convictions of people who were under 18 when convicted of loitering or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution."
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