What Is UK Grooming Gangs Scandal Involving Pakistani Men? Why Is Elon Musk Targetting British PM Keir Starmer?
The UK grooming gangs scandal refers to a series of cases where organized groups of men, often of Pakistani heritage, sexually exploited young girls in many UK cities.
Mumbai, January 08: US billionaire Elon Musk has drawn attention to the infamous UK grooming gangs scandal by accusing Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other members of the Labour government of mishandling the cases of young girls' sexual exploitation. Musk alleged that Starmer had failed to bring "rape gangs" to justice when he led the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over a decade ago.
Starmer served as Britain’s Chief Prosecutor from 2008 to 2013, when the issue of grooming gangs made headlines. Starmer, however, dismissed Musk's allegations and said: "When I was chief prosecutor for five years, I tackled this head on because I could see what was happening. When I left office, we had the highest number of child sexual abuse cases being prosecuted on record." Elon Musk May Fund Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party, a Move That Could Shake Up Britain’s Politics.
What Is UK Grooming Gangs Scandal?
The UK grooming gangs scandal refers to a series of cases where organized groups of men, often of Pakistani heritage, sexually exploited young girls in many UK cities. In 2014, an investigation revealed that more than 1,400 children, some as young as 11, were groomed for sexual exploitation between 1997 and 2013 in Rotherham. Similar cases of grooming and sexual exploitation were reported in other towns, including Telford, Rochdale and Oxford.
The UK grooming gangs scandal sparked national debate on the alleged connection between ethnicity and sexual abuse as the accused men had Pakistani heritage. In 2015, Nazir Afzal, who served the chief prosecutor for the North West England region from 2011-2015, told Channel 4 News that Asians and Pakistani men were "disproportionately involved" in specific types of street grooming. He went on to added that more common types of child sexual abuse are predominantly carried out by white men. UK PM Keir Starmer Thrown Out of Pub? Old Video of British Prime Minister Being Barred From Pub Goes Viral With Misleading Claim.
Why Is Elon Musk Targetting PM Keir Starmer?
When the UK grooming gangs scandal came to light, accusations surfaced that the authorities failed to protect vulnerable children and of turning a blind eye to the abuse due to fears of being labeled racist. Some argued that cultural sensitivities and political correctness prevented law enforcement and government officials from taking action against the perpetrators.
In a post on X, Musk wrote, "In the UK, serious crimes such as rape require the Crown Prosecution Service's approval for the police to charge suspects. Who was the head of the CPS when rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice? Keir Starmer, 2008 -2013." As Britain’s chief prosecutor, Starmer oversaw the prosecution of a grooming gang in Rochdale.
While Musk accused PM Starmer of being complicit, a 2013 parliamentary report published under a previous Conservative-led government praised him as well Afzal.
"We would also like to commend the work of the Director for Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC and the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West, Nazir Afzal OBE ... Mr Starmer has striven to improve the treatment of victims of sexual assault within the criminal justice system throughout his term as Director of Public Prosecutions and, when he leaves the Crown Prosecution Service this year, he will be missed. His response should provide a model to the other agencies involved in tackling localised grooming," the report said.
Meanwhile, the British government has said it is committed to implementing the recommendations of Professor Alexis Jay's report from a 2022 national inquiry into child sexual abuse. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) has made 20 recommendations for protecting children from sexual exploitation and other crimes.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 08, 2025 04:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).