Seven Men Convicted in Rochdale Grooming Scandal

Seven men of South Asian heritage were unanimously convicted at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court for the prolonged sexual exploitation and grooming of two 13-year-old girls in Rochdale between 2001 and 2006. The victims endured years of rape and abuse, often being given drugs and alcohol before being forced to have sex in squalid locations, including flats and warehouses. Three of the offenders worked as stallholders at Rochdale’s indoor market, while others were taxi drivers, and some had attempted to flee the country before the verdicts. The abuse was enabled by systemic failures in child protection, with social services aware of the girls' troubled backgrounds but failing to intervene effectively. The four-month trial was described as one of the most complex and challenging sexual abuse cases, reigniting national debate over the handling of historic grooming gang scandals and the reluctance of officials to address the crimes’ ethnic dimension. Authorities and campaigners praised the survivors for their courage in providing crucial testimony.