UK Grooming Gangs Scandal: In the past two days, Elon Musk has taken to social media to express his outrage over the handling of ‘grooming gangs’ in UK, particularly referring to the infamous Rotherham scandal. He has accused Sir Keir Starmer, the UK PM, of failing to adequately prosecute these gangs during his tenure as Director of Public Prosecutions. 

The Rotherham child sexual exploitation (CSE) scandal refers to the sexual exploitation of over 1,300 children between 1997 to 2013. Investigations revealed widespread institutional neglect, mismanagement, and societal indifference, according to reports

Elon Musk’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) have included calls for PM Starmer to face charges for his alleged complicity in what he describes as “the worst mass crime in the history of Britain.” Musk has also demanded that King Charles intervene by dissolving Parliament, highlighting his frustration with the government’s response to these serious allegations.

According to The Independent, minister Jess Phillips denied requests for the Home Office to lead a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation and grooming. Elon Musk triggered an attack on UK government, as he suggested Phillips “deserves to be in prison”.

“Instead of the Government leading a probe, Oldham must follow in the footsteps of other towns like Rotherham and Telford and commission its own inquiry into historical abuse of children,” Phillips said in a letter to the local council.

A national inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay, concluded in 2022, investigated the handling of ‘Grooming gang’ cases by Greater Manchester Police in areas like Manchester, Oldham, and Rochdale, focusing on organised abuse following multiple convictions across the UK between 2010 and 2014.
Despite the inquiry’s 20 recommendations, Professor Jay expressed frustration in November that none had been implemented over two years later, reported The Independent.

What are ‘Pakistani Grooming Gangs’?

Grooming gangs in UK refer to groups of men, who exploited vulnerable children and young people through ‘grooming’ tactics for sexual abuse. These gangs typically established a relationship with their victims, often using manipulation, gifts, or threats to gain their trust before subjecting them to sexual exploitation. Notable instances include offences committed by the Huddersfield grooming gang and Oldham grooming gang. The perpetrators, in once case had threatened to “bomb the house of the victim”. In recorded data, these crimes only stretched from 2011-2014. However, locals have insisted that there be an inquiry to unravel the history of the crimes even before 2011.

One victim aged 12 told her mother, and the mother called the police, “there was about six or seven Asian men who came to my house. They threatened my mum saying they’ll petrol bomb my house if we don’t drop the charges.”, according to a report by Telegraph UK.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman had in 2023 made several comments about the ethnicity of the abusers in high-profile gangs, referring to the ‘grooming gang’ perpetrators. In the Mail she said “the perpetrators are groups of men, almost all British-Pakistani”. The Home Office clarified that Braverman was talking about three of the most notorious grooming gang cases, from Rochdale, Rotherham, and Telford.

Notably, the 2010 convictions of a group of white men, and a woman, for abusing 30 children in the Camborne area of Cornwall has received less attention, reports BBC.

Was ‘Grooming Gang’ Case Covered Up By UK Govt?

A Telegraph report quotes an independent review published in 2022, which revealed that UK police regarded parts of Telford as “no-go areas,” while witnesses reported allegations of police corruption and bias towards the Pakistani community.

The inquiry highlighted a pervasive “nervousness about race,” indicating a reluctance to investigate crimes linked to what was described as the ‘Asian’ community, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the allegations.

How is Keir Starmer linked to the issue?

British PM Keir Starmer was appointed as the Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service in 2008. He held the post till 2013 and was in-charge of the CPC as it investigated the ‘grooming gangs’.

Starmer began the prosecution of ‘grooming gangs’ in British towns during his tenure. He ordered a wholesale restructuring of how the UK deals with child abuse cases during his final year in office — contending that the legal system had failed victims.

Elon Musk has blamed Starmer for the grisly incidents and recently contended that “rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice” during his tenure.

“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,” he wrote on X earlier this week.

Others including whistleblower Maggie Oliver appear to agree with this assessment. The former detective who uncovered police failings in the grooming gangs investigation insisted that Sir Keir Starmer was “perhaps as guilty as anyone” over the failure to bring about change.