By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-22 04:30:57 | Updated at 2026-09-22 05:32:10
1 hour ago
Oxford grooming gang survivors and former police officers have said they believe "hundreds" of Pakistani rape gang perpetrators are on the loose in the ancient city.
Oxford was one of the towns and cities across Britain where most of the vile perpetrators were identified as older men of Pakistani heritage.
Twenty-one men have been convicted in connection with the Oxford grooming gang - but survivors say there are many more who have never faced justice.
One woman detailed how grooming gang members gave her cigarettes laced with heroin and sexually abused her from the age of 11.
More than two decades later, three men were found guilty of abusing her and were jailed for between five and 24 years in 2020.
She feels the sentence was not enough, saying "they should stay in there forever, because obviously they've taken my life".
In 2015, it was estimated that more than 370 children were affected - but fears are now rising that only the "core group" was caught, and many offenders remain at large.
Another survivor told BBC Panorama she had seen a few of her abusers in her local area after choosing not to go through a police investigation.
She said: "It's difficult because this is where I live, it's where I grew up. There is a few of them that I've seen a few times, even just in the supermarket, driving around."
"It's crazy, it's just ridiculous, the amount of people that were involved," former senior detective Simon Morton, who led the first rape gang probe in the city, said.
"We should've done more. It's tragic," he said, adding that he thinks this type of abuse is "absolutely" still taking place in Oxford.
"We got the core group, that doesn't mean there isn't more. I'd like them all convicted, but identification is super hard.
One grooming gang survivor said she had seen her abusers 'just in the supermarket, driving around'
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"The girls were quite often drugged… thrown in a room with a mattress on the floor, and there'd be a procession of men going in all night, all day."
A third survivor said many of her abusers are still free, adding that police did not initially believe her when she detailed the horrifying acts being done to her.
She said: "There are a lot of people out there who have been involved in this to some degree or another, that have just been allowed to get on with their lives that were involved in the sexual abuse of children."
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said it works "tirelessly" to investigate grooming gang offenders and bring them to justice, adding it was "never too late to come forward".
The first victim explained how her lifelong addiction had directly resulted from being provided heroin-laced cigarettes.
She explained how, after being provided drugs and alcohol, she would be told by grooming gang members she was now in debt and had to pay them back with sex.
A total of 21 men have been convicted in connection to Oxford grooming gangs, but survivors believe hundreds have avoided justice
THAMES VALLEY POLICE
"They're like, 'well you know, you owe me this money now, so you're going to have to do this'," she said.
"They used to say 'drink this, drink that' to the point where I'm throwing up and sick. Having to be in them houses and feeling trapped. They used to just lock us in.
"Then before you know it, there's one, two, six, seven people turning up. You're just outnumbered, basically."
In a statement responding to the BBC Panorama documentary, Oxford County Council said: "The experiences of the victims and survivors featured in the programme are deeply distressing.
"The abuse they suffered was completely unacceptable and our thoughts remain with all those affected.
"Following Operation Bullfinch, a serious case review identified significant failings in how agencies responded. Oxfordshire County Council accepted those findings and apologised. The review led to major changes in safeguarding and multi-agency working.
Thames Valley Police said if grooming gang victims come forward, 'you will be taken seriously'
"Today the council works closely with police, health and other partners to protect vulnerable children, support victims and survivors, and help bring perpetrators to justice.
"Protecting children remains our highest priority."
Darren O'Callaghan, Assistant Chief Constable for Crime and Criminal Justice at Thames Valley Police said in a statement issued before the BBC report: "The impact of sexual abuse of children is lifelong, which is why it is vital that victims and survivors are able to share their lived experience of the abuse they endured.
"These women have bravely shared their experiences, highlighting the devastation these crimes cause over many years.
"To anyone who has experienced abuse, whether recently or many years ago, I want to be absolutely clear: we are here to listen, we are here to support you, and we will treat you with dignity, respect and compassion.
"If you come forward to report abuse, you will be taken seriously. We will listen to what you tell us, investigate thoroughly, and do everything we can to bring offenders to justice while ensuring you receive the support you need throughout the process."
