EXCLUSIVE: A MyLondon/Express investigation has now identified 24 potential grooming gang cases across London, including allegations linked to notorious serial killer Levi Bellfield and a group of associates
Seven years after a bombshell report by a senior social worker alleged that Levi Bellfield was linked to a London grooming gang, a survivor is making renewed calls for justice. Authorities have been aware of rape gang allegations since the investigation into the murder of schoolgirl Milly Dowler – allegations which have been referenced in several books written about Bellfield’s murders.
But the details of these allegations resurfaced in 2018, when the social work report containing new information alleged infamous bus stop killer Bellfield, and convicted sex offender Suraj Gharu, were alleged to have been two of seven men that were part of a child sex abuse ring that had at least 17 victims and operated for well over a decade in West London. Gharu has denied that he was ever part of such a gang. Bellfield hasn’t commented. Neither man was ever charged.
Now Crystalla, who has spent years fighting for action, has hit out at Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley for failing to act in the time since. This week Scotland Yard told MyLondon/Express that an investigation into the group remains open, more than six years after the force received a safeguarding report in 2019.
The case is one of 13 examples identified by a joint investigation by MyLondon and the Express into the scale of the capital’s grooming gang crisis. We previously reported on six potential cases contained in Met Police inspection reports, that were read by the Mayor, plus another five potential victims featured in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
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Crystalla said she was unhappy with what she saw as previous denials by the Mayor and Commissioner about the problem of grooming gangs, and questioned how allegations about such a notorious group have been forgotten.
“We’re sick of screaming and shouting about it and nothing happening,” said the singer/songwriter.
“It’s simple, we want justice for the abuse we’ve suffered at the hands of a group so many people have been aware of. Not only has this grooming gang been public knowledge for the past seven years, Levi Bellfield, one of the most notorious serial killers in British history was involved [according to the report].
“What I saw them inflict on my community without consequences was horrific. There were times when I found myself being the one to try and protect girls from exploitation because the people who were supposed to keep them let them down. Yet somehow decades later, it is still us taking the risks and the perpetrators not facing justice. Things need to change.
“I’m baffled as to how Sadiq Khan and Mark Rowley could have stood up there and said London didn’t have grooming gangs when [they’ve had this report about the Hillingdon gang for seven years]. How could they say it? Why?”
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‘Taking actions can improve lives’
Allegations about the Hillingdon gang were first reported in newspaper articles about a safeguarding report from Hillingdon Council’s child sexual exploitation manager, Debbie Weissang, highlighting the danger posed. At the time the Met publicly confirmed it had received the report, while Hillingdon Council said the information had been “carefully reviewed”.
But while Bellfield has been caged for unrelated murders, Weissang pointed out other alleged members of the group were still at large and pose a serious “risk to children.” The alleged perpetrators believed “they’d done nothing wrong and are untouchable”, added Weissang as she called for action regarding the men named in her report and efforts to support the women affected.
“I continue to stand by my recommendations made in my report to Children’s Social Care and the Met Police,” said Weissang, “The professional network should always review how the lives of children could be improved of female survivors who are known to Children’s Social Care.
“Mothers who’ve suffered serious exploitation can feel like they are being blamed for the previous abuse when their children are open to social care. Taking action can make a significant difference and improve the lives of the next generation.”
Since MyLondon and the Express began reporting on grooming gangs in the capital, the Met has embarked on a review of 9,000 group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation cases and the Mayor of London has backtracked on previous remarks that there was “no indication” of the problem.
We have since learned that, prior to this broader reassessment, between January and July, the Met had re-examined 922 potential cases and submitted 197 to the National Crime Agency, who are running the project. More are likely to be added as each of the 9,000 is reviewed by officers using a broader definition.
Our latest investigation found 13 cases from all parts of the capital that police whistleblower Maggie Oliver said had the same patterns as groups she helped bring to justice in Rochdale.
Extensive research by our reporters into council documents, reviews into the deaths of children in care, and media reports unearthed tragic stories of teenagers taking their lives after suffering horrific sexual exploitation at the hands of multiple perpetrators.
One case in Croydon described how an 11-year-old child was described by professionals as being “engaged in sexually harmful behaviour” and “putting herself at risk with older males” before taking her own life at the age of 16.
Another teenager from Haringey who died by suicide in 2012, who was also believed to have been raped aged 12, wrote a letter detailing abduction, gang rape, as well as “numerous pregnancies and miscarriages”. The police did not keep the letter or take any action against the alleged abusers, but instead suggested a specialist officer find out “what her mental state of mind is.”
Council documents and media reports also detailed concerns about specific groups of men grooming girls in Hounslow, Lewisham, and Newham, as well as pimps who actively went out looking to recruit London’s children to be sold for sex. After creating a map to show the scale of the problem, MyLondon/Express invited a grooming gang survivor to give her thoughts.
‘These men get to walk around every day’
Londoner Jade Nurse, a survivor of a grooming gang in High Wycombe, said she felt like screaming after reading details of the potential cases in London and the failures associated with them.
Discussing the three different cases where victims ended their own lives she said: “That’s happened so many times. So many times I tried to kill myself.
“[It’s why I moved away] I couldn’t deal with it anymore walking past my perpetrators every single day.
“What we go through is horrible. I’m still trying to get justice now 18 years down the line, and it’s just a daily fight every day with your mental health.
“Yet these men get to walk around every day with their family living happy. It’s really not fair. Something seriously needs to start being done about it.”
Recalling how the patterns of inaction were horribly familiar, Nurse added: “The [gangs] get you so wrapped up you’re even scared to open your mouth, or when you do it, you don’t get believed.
“I’ve given DNA and I’ve made reports and it’s ended up with me getting arrested. This is the reason why we don’t scream and shout anymore because all of the professionals around us are supposed to be looking after us don’t believe us. So how are you meant to fight a system like that?
“The perpetrators see themselves as untouchable because there is no criminal justice coming to them. They are getting away with it.”
‘Detectives continue to progress this complex investigation’
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “The Met takes all allegations of child sexual and criminal exploitation extremely seriously, which is why we are currently reviewing around 9,000 cases and have significantly enhanced our approach to identifying and investigating group-based offending since 2022.
“This has led to a threefold increase in solved cases of child sexual exploitation over the past year, resulting in 134 additional suspects being charged. Our commitment to safeguarding victims and bringing offenders to justice is why we have launched the review.
“Officers are continuing with an investigation into alleged child sexual abuse in the Hillingdon area of west London. This investigation commenced in 2019 after the Met received a safeguarding report.
“Specialist detectives continue to progress this complex and detailed investigation and recognise the impact on those affected. They remain committed to investigating allegations fully and securing justice.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Any individuals or grooming gangs exploiting children for sex are utterly abhorrent and Sadiq wants justice for every single victim of these horrific crimes. These children have not only suffered terrible abuse at the hands of the perpetrators but have been woefully let down by the authorities meant to protect them from harm.
“Sadiq has led efforts to strengthen the protection of children from exploitation and harm in all its forms in London, including grooming gangs. Since taking office, he has ensured vital investment in specialist services to support child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, and driven forward long-overdue reforms in the way the Met protects children.
“This includes specifically commissioning HMICFRS to independently inspect the Met’s child protection arrangements in 2023 which has led to lasting improvements.
“The Mayor is clear that the Met must follow the evidence wherever it leads. He will continue to support and hold the Met to account to ensure it does everything possible to tackle child sexual exploitation in London, including grooming gangs.”
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