Fury as ‘very, very many’ grooming gang victims treated as criminals by police

Fury as ‘very, very many’ grooming gang victims treated as criminals by policeThe same system meant to safeguard victims has left them carrying criminal records instead. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source By Sophie Warburton 11:39, Wed, May 27, 2026 Updated: 11:42, Wed, May 27, 2026 Dame Vera Baird raised serious concerns that 'very, very many' child sexual exploitation victims have been wrongfully criminalised (Image: Getty)For years, the state has “failed” victims of grooming gangs and treated them “like criminals”, the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) has found. Speaking on the BBC's Today programme this morning, CCRC Chair Dame Vera Baird KC revealed the number of victims to be “very, very many”, and particularly female. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) The convictions of a young teenage girl, "Ms AB" have been sent back to the courts, marking the first case of its kind. It is particularly significant due to Ms AB’s age, poorer background and how, despite being in and out of care, was already known to the police. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy"Ms AB" was 11-years old when she was first approached by a man who su...