Ten men arrested over child sexual abuse allegations in Bradford

Detectives have arrested 10 men aged 49-71 as they launch an investigation into "non-recent reports of child sexual abuse" in the West Yorkshire city of Bradford. West Yorkshire Police announced on Friday morning that the allegations relate to offences, which are reported to have occurred in the District between 1994 and 1997, and relate to six victims who were aged 13 to 15 at the time.

The men, whose backgrounds are not yet know, were all arested from addresses in Bradford and have been interviewed and bailed pending further enquiries.

Police have urged anyone who has been a victim of child sexual exploitation to urgently come forward and speak to their officers where they will be fully supported and listened to.

Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Greenbank of Bradford District Police said: "Safeguarding and protecting children remains the top priority for West Yorkshire Police. This investigation demonstrates the Force's ongoing commitment to the investigation of both current and non-recent sexual offences against children.

"Child sexual abuse and exploitation is an abhorrent and heinous crime and one which affects some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

"Tackling child abuse is not something that any one agency can do in isolation; we work closely with our partners and charities to support victims, bring perpetrators to justice and to make our communities safer. I would urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, to report it to the police.

"Please be assured that you will be listened to, taken seriously and supported by professionals with experience of dealing with these kinds of offences."

It is the latest series of mass arrests in Bradford for historical child sexual abuse or exploitation.

In April this year 12 men and a woman were arrested on suspicion of alleged historical child sexual exploitation offences.

West Yorkshire Police said in that proble the men, aged between 42 and 59, and a 60-year-old woman were arrested at a series of addresses in Bradford in March and April.

The force said the alleged offences were said to have been committed against a single victim between 2000 and 2005 when she was aged between 13 and 17.

All 13 have been bailed pending further inquiries.

It is not yet known if today's news of 10 arrests is linked at all to that earlier investigation.

In January, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper urged chief constables in England and Wales to reopen cold case investigations, as she also announced a rapid review by Baroness Casey to look at the nature and scale of gang-based exploitation across the country.

Ms Cooper has also vowed for at least five local inquiries to take place, including in Oldham, Greater Manchester where work is "underway already".

The series of announcements to tackle child grooming gangs came as the Government faced pressure over the issue, including criticism from billionaire X owner Elon Musk.

On Wednesday this week the son of a former MP who first raised concerns about Pakistani grooming gangs in West Yorkshire more than 20 years ago accused Bradford Council of a "cover up" over the issue.

John Cryer, an ex-MP who now sits in the House of Lords, said the authorities dismissed his mother Ann Cryer when she raised claims of child sexual exploitation in Keighley as early as 2002.

Ms Cryer was Labour MP for Keighley when she was approached by seven mothers who said their daughters were being systematically exploited, drugged and raped by men in the town.

But when she raised the issue with West Yorkshire Police and Bradford Council, Mr Cryer said her concerns were disputed.

"The council just wanted to ignore it, pretend that it wasn't happening," he said. "Their reaction was this was a myth she shouldn't have been perpetuating.

"With the police, they took the view that because they couldn't get the girls to testify, they didn't have the evidence. So their position is more of a sustainable one."

He added: "There has never been an independent inquiry into Bradford and I am absolutely certain there has been a cover up on a local level."

Despite complaints about grooming in the Bradford area, neighbouring Rotherham became the focus of the debate about child sexual exploitation after the first convictions in 2010.

An inquiry into grooming in the South Yorkshire town revealed an estimated 1,400 girls were exploited by gangs of predominantly British-Pakistani men.

Mr Cryer said the inquiry, by Prof Alexis Jay, left his mother feeling "vindicated".

"The victims were always the first thing in her mind," he said.

"And this was first and foremost for them. But I remember having conversations with her in the years after and she would say things like 'the people who were slagging me off, who were having a go at me about this, funny how they've all gone quiet'."

West Yorkshire Police have not revealed the ethnicity of the 10 men arrested this week on this latest case of alleged non-recent child sexual abuse.

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