Person that entered into a ‘marriage’ with children’s home girl, 15, sentenced for sex abuse
A man that entered into a “marriage” with a fifteen-year-old minor during a religious ceremony is among eight men that were convicted for abuse charges targeting her.
The victim was groomed as well as sexually abused by men from the age of 13 and it persisted during her time in an area children's home, a trial heard.
Jurors was told the ceremony in the early 2000s with the defendant, was attended by the victim's key social worker although residential staff fearing that exploitation was occurring.
The defendant, currently 43, was found guilty for rape and indecent assault and imprisoned during May for a minimum of 18 years but that was increased up to 23 years after appeal court judges.
‘Systemic failure’
The survivor stated: “This exceeded an isolated incident. It highlighted organizational breakdown and no one cared about my welfare.
“I entered a marriage to an abuser. How is child marriage possible? Authorities permitted it,” she explained.
The victim reached out to news organizations back in 2019 about her ordeal of abuse after seeing one of her other abusers, another convict, on a news report regarding exploitation of minors.
The second defendant, mid-forties, who was previously incarcerated for similar crimes when the report aired, was found guilty during proceedings this past June of sexual assault and indecent assault with sentencing pending.
Documentation showed reviewed by media care staff within the facility noted that the teenager “was meeting Asian men late at night and failed to notify to staff regarding her whereabouts”.
She commented: “The system was responsible for me but I wasn't protected at all, and the protocols intended for my safety allowed the harm to continue.”
Law enforcement documents showed the girl was reported missing over a hundred times between 2002 and 2004.
One caregiver told the court that individuals using as many as 10 vehicles nightly frequently visited at the children's home and vehicle registration plates were passed to police each week.
The woman, whose identity is protected, stated the impact of giving evidence had been devastating.
“When I came forward, I wasn’t informed the extent it would damage my psychological state, how it would affect ties with relatives, how it would affect my mental processes,” she said.
“It seems I endured greater trauma beyond my youth because I've lived it over and over again as an adult without any relief.
“It was just emotional unwellness.”
‘Survivors ignored’
The victim’s solicitor, representing the victim, condemned the conduct of authorities and police in that period, when the abuse was being carried out.
“Staff in that children's home were aware these acts were taking place, not only involving this victim and additional victims at the same time as well,” he said.
“Intervention was required. The police should have been in there right away and those affected should have been probably dispersed from the facility.”
The woman mentioned other minors in the facility also reported regarding abuse.
“Loads of girls were reporting stuff back then, others experienced this too,” she said.
“The women that have got justice in recent years are a small portion of those who suffered abuse locally.
“Many survivors whose voices were ignored.”
A police spokesperson stated that from the early 2010s onward, the force had “heavily funded and improved” its safeguarding capability and taken a “thorough and diligent strategy to reviewing past cases”.
Officials added that multiple probes were still under way, stating: “Actions taken in recent years has resulted in hundreds of perpetrators currently serving extended jail terms.”
Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said it involved “major deficiencies regarding how the council and other agencies in our district acted during that period and regrets were expressed”.
“They failed to safeguard the individual as required,” she continued.
The official explained the survivor’s ordeal were “looked at in depth” during an earlier review on abuse cases in the area.
She added the outcomes were submitted to a countrywide review into Child Sexual Abuse and steps were taken in the area enabling authorities to “improve protection for {children in the here and now|minors
