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'No one protected me:' Grooming gangs survivor responds to inquiry announcement
Jun 17, 2025
An LBC caller shares her experience of being groomed from the age of 13.
She says she reported her abuser to police with the support of a social worker, but alleges the case was not properly pursued at the time. She reflects on how she was treated by the police, her life in care, and the impact of what happened.
This comes as the Prime Minister announces a statutory national inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse, following recommendations from Baroness Louise Casey.
The NCA will work with local police forces to give victims their "long-awaited justice" and prevent further abuse from taking place.
The Home Secretary is set to address Parliament over the review, which prompted the Prime Minister to implement a full probe after months of resistance.
Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp
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0:00
What do you mean when you talk about the inadequacy of the police dealing with victims
0:06
Well, unfortunately, I was a victim of grooming and abuse when I was, it started when I was about 13
0:15
And then me and my social worker did report it to the police. And the way they handled it was just disgusting, abhorrent
0:23
Like, yeah, it was just horrible. the man now is in prison
0:28
but for other offences of grooming to other people that went on for years
0:35
and years and then tell me a bit more about how they treated you
0:41
well when you're young you're a bit naive aren't you you just think oh it's hilarious
0:49
that this old man is driving us around giving us cigarettes and vodka
0:54
and then over the years it sort of escalated and oh let me hold your hand
0:59
and then he would kiss your hand and then one day it just snowballed into
1:05
you know, just that I'm sorry drove you to the middle of nowhere
1:11
and like it's really bad it doesn't matter to happen but it's more
1:17
I think the more I think about it the more I get upset with how I was treated by police
1:22
at such a young age as well so what happened when you when you first when your social worker and you first contacted the police
1:30
they were initially they were asking me lots of questions i didn't know his full name
1:38
i didn't know where he lived i just knew him by a nickname okay and then um
1:43
we had a phone call later that day that he was arrested at home address so
1:49
and he got NFA because he said that I was a prostitute, basically
1:58
But when they were younger, when I was like 13, 14, the police used to pull us over in his car
2:05
You know, they all kind of knew him, knew of him, would just pull him over, take him out of the car
2:12
talk to him, then he'd get back in the car. They'd never really talk to us
2:16
this is this is a i mean almost i so sorry first of all for what you were put through and and i hope you found a way not to blame yourself for it or consider yourself in any way responsible for what this monster did to you and and for people who don don know NFA is a is a is a no further action um if I understood you correct because
2:37
you were above the age of consent by the time you went to the police but you hadn't been when he
2:41
started abusing you which is a forgive me for using slightly inappropriate language that's a
2:46
perfect example of why this is such a tricky thing to be investigated and what i think they're going
2:54
to do is look at cases like yours and wonder why it wasn't pursued when it wouldn't when you weren't
3:02
above the age of consent because by the time you were it was too late they thought and yet we think
3:10
you and me and most people listening to this we think it wasn't too late and it shouldn't have been
3:15
yeah i also i think i have the thought that because i was um you know like in homes and
3:25
hostels and had a social worker you know i wasn't the most amazing example as a child
3:32
that you know they probably just thought i was riffraff and disposable because that's
3:36
how i felt like i was treated because i believe that what actually got him
3:43
you know arrested and actually sentenced was a lot of victims came forward but the main victim
3:49
that came forward you know came forward with their parents and came from a good background
3:55
and then it was seen to have taken seriously when not just myself other people I think had
4:02
reported him so you know it it kind of I just feel like a lot of police maybe maybe they've got
4:12
jaded opinion of kids because, you know, like... Kids in care. Yeah
4:19
Maybe all of society does sometimes, Kirsty. Yeah, because, you know, you look at a kid being mouthy
4:27
in the street and you just think that they're you know, idiots that need a slap
4:31
but if you truly look behind the curtain that a lot of these kids
4:35
aren't happy, you know, they're struggling, they've gone through trauma and it's the only way that they can process it
4:41
or have learnt to process it and learnt to cope with these things. It's not making an excuse, bad behaviour is bad behaviour
4:46
but I think that maybe the police over the years have just It more against them Can I argue with you for just 10 seconds Yeah of course yeah I think it is an excuse Oh yeah
5:01
I think it is an excuse I think if you're dealing with that kind of set up
5:05
and that kind of life, then you becoming a bit mouthy is a perfectly
5:11
natural consequence a perfectly understandable response to the trauma that you're enduring
5:17
because you're crying out for care. You want someone to notice you and look after you
5:22
and the predators can spot that from 100 miles away, can't they? Yes
5:27
And I think a lot of kids that are very mouthy, very lonely
5:32
very lonely in that world. And, you know, you don't really have, like, guidance
5:39
And then you see these older people that are, like, taking you under their wing. It's like, it's like a love, it's weird because it would feel very comforting knowing that you should come out of school and you get picked up with a pack of Mayfair or something like that
5:58
Even though you knew it was wrong because you knew this man was weird, but it was also a bit comforting because that's the thing you're missing from home
6:06
And no one else was offering you that false, well, they were offering you affection, no affection at all
6:13
So this sort of weird fake affection was all that you were offered
6:18
Yeah, and I think part of it as well is when you're young, you do think that you're in control of everything
6:27
And you, you know, or if you're in a bad situation, I could do this, I could do that
6:33
But in reality, one day it will just, yeah, you're not, you can't
6:38
You've got all the answers at 14. We all do, don't we? Yeah
6:43
Got it all. Everything. Then you spend the rest of your life realising that you didn't have any. And I'm so sorry that your realisation of that was in such a vile, vile way
6:52
So, I mean, the point of this inquiry, as far as we know, we'll be looking into why some cases were not more rigorously investigated and whether or not in some cases ethnicity played a part in the decision not to investigate
7:10
I don't think your abuser was of Pakistani origin. I think he was of Turkish origin
7:14
So not one of the demographics that is usually cited in this case But what would justice look like for you Kirsty
7:26
Because as you say, and all of your story breaks my heart, it really does
7:31
But the idea that a girl like my daughter could come forward
7:36
and be listened to and trusted in a way that you weren't probably breaks my heart than almost anything else that you've told me
7:41
But what would justice look like for you now? because it's cases like yours that they're going to look into
7:48
I would think, I don't know, probably just acknowledgement that it wasn't handed well
7:56
And the people, what would you want to happen to the people that did not handle it well
8:02
I don't know because I'm very like, oh, we're all human, we all make mistakes
8:06
And I do think that if you do work with troubled kids all the time
8:11
and get called out to these places, then over years you probably do have a dated opinion just like oh it oh sorry i didn't
8:17
mean to swear sorry we just had to drop one swear word there which is in case anyone's
8:21
hey i'm amazed that you've got this far without a few more i don't know if i could have told a
8:25
story like yours without using some uh shall we say some grown-up language gusty but that's
8:31
incredibly generous of you you're a remarkable human being how are you doing now a lot of people
8:36
will want me to ask you that question? I try and block it out
8:42
but I've had a lot of therapy. Good. Yeah, it's a struggle
8:49
but just take day by day, really. Try to get on with life
8:55
and just see the beauty in it. I think for a long time I hated the world
9:01
Yes. And now I don't. well if you can get to that place then i don't think um there's any reason why the rest of us
9:11
can't as well thank you so much for calling me today i know thank you for talking about it well
9:15
i'm sorry you were in a position to tell me so much about this world this story it's weird because
9:22
i never ever talk about it and then i don't know why i just put down the number and i just called
9:26
and it's like wow but it's it's good and i hope other people have the strength to call and tell
9:33
their side of the story. Are you glad you rang? Yeah, I actually do
9:39
I feel my heart's not racing as much and I actually feel quite like
9:43
ah, this is okay. I'm glad you did too
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