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'Racist' Asian sex gangs: MPs demand tougher sentences for grooming young white girls
Asian grooming should be treated as a racially aggravated crime according to some MPs and campaigners Credit: PA
Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent Steven Swinford, Deputy Political Editor
11 August 2017 • 7:16am
Britain's courts should treat Asian Muslim grooming gangs behind the abuse of hundreds of white teenage girls as racially aggravated criminals, leading MPs and campaigners have demanded.
The demand was issued as senior politicians and prosecutors admitted that political correctness may have stopped the gangs being properly pursued and punished after another ring of Asian mainly muslim sex offenders was convicted in Newcastle.
The Attorney General was facing calls to review the sentences of several members of the 18-strong Newcastle gang after it emerged the apparently racially-aggravated nature of their crimes was not reflected in their punishment.
The men, mostly of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin were convicted of plying vulnerable and underage white girls with drink and drugs before sexually abusing and raping them.
During one of the trials the jury heard how one gang member referred to women as "white trash" who were "only good for one thing".
Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary has called for an end to political correctness
Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary has called for an end to political correctness Credit: PA
The Home Secretary, said that "political and cultural sensitivities" must not stand in the way of rooting out the "sickening" crime.
She said: "Those responsible are not restricted to any single ethnic group, religion or community – it is an affront to everyone in our society and I want to be absolutely clear that political and cultural sensitivities must never be allowed to get in the way of preventing and uncovering it."
Under sentencing guidelines, crimes that include race or religion are considered more serious and the court has a duty to take it into account when sentencing.
But nowhere in the judge's sentencing remarks has the race of the victims been raised as an aggravating factor.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Qari Asim, a Leeds imam, says it is for Muslims to confront “cultural prejudices” that have led these men to “prey on white girls, seeing them as easy meat”.
He said: "Everyone in Britain has a responsibility to uphold the law and protect the most vulnerable, and that means British Muslims do too."
Lord MacDonald, the former Director of Public Prosecutions said it was clear these were "profoundly racist crimes" and said the issue needed to be confronted head on.
In 2015 a child molester, Jamal Muhammed Raheem Ul Nasir, was given a longer sentence after the judge ruled that the fact his victims were Asian and from the same community as him, was an “aggravating factor”.
The Attorney General is being asked to review the sentences of some of the gang already jailed
The Attorney General is being asked to review the sentences of some of the gang already jailed Credit: Paul Grover
Mike Penning, a former policing and justice minister, urged Jeremy Wright, the Attorney General to consider reviewing the offences to take account of the racial element.
He said: “Some of them freely admitted that their attitude to these girls was based on race. If that's the case then this is a racially motivated crime and the sentence should and must reflect that.
"I cannot understand, in a case where the police have done brilliantly well, why the sentence doesn't reflect the severity of the crime.
“These were young women and girls that have been violated. Racism comes in many shapes and sizes.
"Lessons have to be learned that it does not matter what the race, colour or creed of someone is. If there is an offence you convict them.
"The Attorney General should look at these sentences, I will be writing to him on Monday."
Newcastle is the latest city where a South Asian gang has been exposed as being at the centre of a child sexual exploitation ring, responsible for targeted abuse against vulnerable white girls.
It follows similar cases in Rotherham, Rochdale and Oxford, prompting calls for a national debate about why there is such a problem within certain communities, particularly those from Pakistan.
Trevor Phillips has said the gangs should be called Muslim rather than Asian
Trevor Phillips has said the gangs should be called Muslim rather than Asian Credit: Graham Jepson
Trevor Philips, former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said that the grooming gangs should not be called Asians, but Muslims.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph he said: "Labelling this phenomenon an “Asian” crime is therefore an evasion. What these men have in common is not their race or nationality. It is their proclaimed faith."
Shadow women and equalities secretary, Sarah Champion, who is the MP for Rotherham, said political correctness had allowed the problem to fester.
She said: "People are more afraid to be called a racist than they are afraid to be wrong about calling out child abuse.
"We've got now hundreds of men, Pakistani men, who have been convicted of this crime...this is still going on in our towns now, I know it's still going on but we're still not addressing it."
Four of the gang have already been sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court
Four of the gang have already been sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court Credit: Alamy
Peter Saunders of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood added: "It makes sense that the racist element of these crimes should be taken into account when sentencing.
"A number of these men have expressed clear opinions that those white girls are little more than trash to be sexually abused.
“If the situation was different and this was white gang attacking Asian victims, quite rightly there would be an outcry, but because of the whole politically correct culture we have to bite our tongue and are afraid to address the reality. It is a further insult to the victims.”
In another twist it has emerged that some of the victims of Asian grooming gangs have themselves been arrested for using racist language against their abusers.
Sarah Champion has warned that abuse is still being ignored because of political correctness Credit: PA
Detective Constable Maggie Oliver, who helped expose the Rochdale grooming scandal, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: "I can give you numerous examples of victims abused as children who have been arrested and charged with racially aggravated public order offences for shouting out names that have a racial element to their abusers.
"Why is there no parity in dealing with the offenders? Those girls have been arrested, they have been criminalised. That stays with them for the rest of their lives.”
It has also emerged that Britain's largest police force has failed to achieve any significant improvement in the quality of child protection investigations several months after a watchdog first raised the alarm.
An audit found a string of flaws were still apparent in some Metropolitan Police inquiries involving under-18s, despite inspectors delivering a scathing critique of the work in November.
Asian grooming should be treated as a racially aggravated crime according to some MPs and campaigners Credit: PA
Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent Steven Swinford, Deputy Political Editor
11 August 2017 • 7:16am
Britain's courts should treat Asian Muslim grooming gangs behind the abuse of hundreds of white teenage girls as racially aggravated criminals, leading MPs and campaigners have demanded.
The demand was issued as senior politicians and prosecutors admitted that political correctness may have stopped the gangs being properly pursued and punished after another ring of Asian mainly muslim sex offenders was convicted in Newcastle.
The Attorney General was facing calls to review the sentences of several members of the 18-strong Newcastle gang after it emerged the apparently racially-aggravated nature of their crimes was not reflected in their punishment.
The men, mostly of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin were convicted of plying vulnerable and underage white girls with drink and drugs before sexually abusing and raping them.
During one of the trials the jury heard how one gang member referred to women as "white trash" who were "only good for one thing".
Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary has called for an end to political correctness
Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary has called for an end to political correctness Credit: PA
The Home Secretary, said that "political and cultural sensitivities" must not stand in the way of rooting out the "sickening" crime.
She said: "Those responsible are not restricted to any single ethnic group, religion or community – it is an affront to everyone in our society and I want to be absolutely clear that political and cultural sensitivities must never be allowed to get in the way of preventing and uncovering it."
Under sentencing guidelines, crimes that include race or religion are considered more serious and the court has a duty to take it into account when sentencing.
But nowhere in the judge's sentencing remarks has the race of the victims been raised as an aggravating factor.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Qari Asim, a Leeds imam, says it is for Muslims to confront “cultural prejudices” that have led these men to “prey on white girls, seeing them as easy meat”.
He said: "Everyone in Britain has a responsibility to uphold the law and protect the most vulnerable, and that means British Muslims do too."
Lord MacDonald, the former Director of Public Prosecutions said it was clear these were "profoundly racist crimes" and said the issue needed to be confronted head on.
In 2015 a child molester, Jamal Muhammed Raheem Ul Nasir, was given a longer sentence after the judge ruled that the fact his victims were Asian and from the same community as him, was an “aggravating factor”.
The Attorney General is being asked to review the sentences of some of the gang already jailed
The Attorney General is being asked to review the sentences of some of the gang already jailed Credit: Paul Grover
Mike Penning, a former policing and justice minister, urged Jeremy Wright, the Attorney General to consider reviewing the offences to take account of the racial element.
He said: “Some of them freely admitted that their attitude to these girls was based on race. If that's the case then this is a racially motivated crime and the sentence should and must reflect that.
"I cannot understand, in a case where the police have done brilliantly well, why the sentence doesn't reflect the severity of the crime.
“These were young women and girls that have been violated. Racism comes in many shapes and sizes.
"Lessons have to be learned that it does not matter what the race, colour or creed of someone is. If there is an offence you convict them.
"The Attorney General should look at these sentences, I will be writing to him on Monday."
Newcastle is the latest city where a South Asian gang has been exposed as being at the centre of a child sexual exploitation ring, responsible for targeted abuse against vulnerable white girls.
It follows similar cases in Rotherham, Rochdale and Oxford, prompting calls for a national debate about why there is such a problem within certain communities, particularly those from Pakistan.
Trevor Phillips has said the gangs should be called Muslim rather than Asian
Trevor Phillips has said the gangs should be called Muslim rather than Asian Credit: Graham Jepson
Trevor Philips, former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said that the grooming gangs should not be called Asians, but Muslims.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph he said: "Labelling this phenomenon an “Asian” crime is therefore an evasion. What these men have in common is not their race or nationality. It is their proclaimed faith."
Shadow women and equalities secretary, Sarah Champion, who is the MP for Rotherham, said political correctness had allowed the problem to fester.
She said: "People are more afraid to be called a racist than they are afraid to be wrong about calling out child abuse.
"We've got now hundreds of men, Pakistani men, who have been convicted of this crime...this is still going on in our towns now, I know it's still going on but we're still not addressing it."
Four of the gang have already been sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court
Four of the gang have already been sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court Credit: Alamy
Peter Saunders of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood added: "It makes sense that the racist element of these crimes should be taken into account when sentencing.
"A number of these men have expressed clear opinions that those white girls are little more than trash to be sexually abused.
“If the situation was different and this was white gang attacking Asian victims, quite rightly there would be an outcry, but because of the whole politically correct culture we have to bite our tongue and are afraid to address the reality. It is a further insult to the victims.”
In another twist it has emerged that some of the victims of Asian grooming gangs have themselves been arrested for using racist language against their abusers.
Sarah Champion has warned that abuse is still being ignored because of political correctness Credit: PA
Detective Constable Maggie Oliver, who helped expose the Rochdale grooming scandal, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: "I can give you numerous examples of victims abused as children who have been arrested and charged with racially aggravated public order offences for shouting out names that have a racial element to their abusers.
"Why is there no parity in dealing with the offenders? Those girls have been arrested, they have been criminalised. That stays with them for the rest of their lives.”
It has also emerged that Britain's largest police force has failed to achieve any significant improvement in the quality of child protection investigations several months after a watchdog first raised the alarm.
An audit found a string of flaws were still apparent in some Metropolitan Police inquiries involving under-18s, despite inspectors delivering a scathing critique of the work in November.
