Sponsored by
80 child sex cases...in just three months
A staggering 80 cases of suspected child sexual exploitation have been reported to Preston detectives in just three months.
A specialist team, which was set up to deal with grooming and child sexual exploitation, has seen a significant rise in the number of referrals since it was formed 18 months ago.
Last week, Mohammed Moosa, 24, of Holmrook Road, Deepdale, Preston, was given a three-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to abduction and sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl.
Moosa was snared after the Deter Team, made up of a team of experts including police, social workers and charities, was put on the case of two young girls who had been reported missing from home.
The team traced Moosa and a second man, Faisal Ghani, who admitted abduction, to a hotel in Blackpool where the girls were found to have had drank large amounts of alcohol and had taken drugs.
The case preceded a further 79 referrals which were taken to the Deter Team between the start of April and the end of June.
Speaking to the Evening Post, a victim’s mother said she had no idea her daughter was being targeted until it was too late.
But DI Jonathan Holmes, head of the public protection unit at Preston police, said having a specialist team means families are now better equipped to see the warning signs.
He said: “We have recently observed an increase in the reporting of this type of crime, which we have attributed to better scanning methods and increasing work with parents.
“We now have a dedicated team to deal with this kind of sexual exploitation.
“Part of that team’s role is to work with partner agencies and to increase awareness in the community of this type of crime and we have seen an increase in reporting of this type of crime as a result.”
Many of the cases which the team has investigated have followed a pattern which sees the offender form a ‘relationship’ with the young victim by showering them with gifts to give them a sense of independence.
This leads to many of them not realising they are being exploited, believing instead they are in a meaningful relationship.
He said: “This type of crime is likely to be under-reported.
“The nature of the crime is such the victims do not appreciate they are being victimised.
“This is because they are being subject to grooming which will take the form of gifts, alcohol, mobile phones or cash.
“The offender often grooms the victim over a lengthy period of time in order to create a situation where the victim is not necessarily aware of what’s happening to them.
“The effect is they themselves may not report any offences because they feel they are in a close relationship with the offender.”
While the number of cases being referred to the team has increased, DI Holmes claimed it was too early to say whether it is a major issue.
He said: “The Deter Team is still establishing itself but in three or four years’ time we will be able to see where reporting is.
“It is a bit early to say how big a problem it is, but we are certainly getting increasing reports and are keen to take positive action against offenders whenever we get that information.”
While many victims initially may not realise they are being abused, DI Holmes said the offenders should not be regarded in a different light to any other child sex offender.
He said: “These people are sex offenders. In my view, for an adult to have sex with an adolescent is paedophilic behaviour. It is done through a grooming process.
“Typically, they might be in their early teens. Mohammed Moosa is 24 and he was having sex with a 13-year-old.”
Charity Crop (Coalition for the Removal of Pimping) is one of the groups which works with the Deter Team to support the parents of child sex victims and it has dealt with more than 500 cases in the past five years.
Cat Tatman, a parent support worker, said the Deter Team means Preston is in a better position than many parts of the country, but there is a long way to go.
She said: “We are still at the point where we are seeing the tip of the iceberg.
“If you have one focused effort, as in Lancashire, the perpetrators are often one or two steps ahead and often push their operations out of the county boundaries.
“In Derby, they (police) were getting very good at picking kids up in the city centre, so they were moving out to Derbyshire.
“It is certainly not a new problem, but it is something we are just becoming aware of the level and extent of it.”
The Deter Team also includes a detective sergeant, three detective constables, one local intelligence officer, three social workers, members of the Children’s Society and a Group Intervention Panel.
Social workers can refer parents, whose children are suspected of being groomed in the Preston area, to SEEN (Sexual Exploitation Ends Now) which provides advice on what signs to look for and support for the victims.
To contact the Deter Team during office hours call 01772 209122 or out of hours there is a bounce back service which can be accessed by texting 66247 and starting the message with the word Deter.
Alternatively, call Preston police on 01772 203203.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Preston
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: 2 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
Comments
There are 15 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Mike Kelly
Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 03:46 PMSo tell the truth no10 and you're a racist?
TheColonel
Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 07:02 PMMaybe kids are just getting sexier?
angryman9
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 12:30 AMCastration is the answer to this, chemical of course: though if I had my way, we would use the old fasioned method.
English and Proud
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 06:01 PMthis is quite staggering and disturbing. What is it with these people. Castrate them all is what i say!
ratus ratur6
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 05:17 PMNo 10 one word bollocks!
Preston Regardless
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 05:03 PMtonyjames - I'm afraid it you that hasn't got a clue "mate". To state that this is predominantly a racist crime, perpertrated by one ethnic group [asians] against a weak corruptable group [us native white people] - does sound to me to be.... well let's call it "misguided" to avoid words that are too inflammatory.. ********* I've had a look at the article you selected to illustrate your research. *** The only two conclusions I can come to are that you ( or someone close to you) has unfortunately been a victim of exploitation by one of these people or gangs..... or alternatively, you are prejudiced **** If it is the first option, then I won't argue with you, because I can't begin to truly understand in the way that you do - and it must be difficult to put things into the perspective that other people would take ***** If you don't have a personal connection, all I'll say is that, whilst the people you point at are indeed absolutely despicable, but statistically, I understand that they are not a particularly big part of the problem.
tonyjames
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 03:56 PMhttp:www.timesonline.co.uktolnewsukcrimearticle2538090.ece
tonyjames
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 03:37 PMpreston regardless..you havent a clue mate..yankee bravo "research" lol, you should try it. Just look at the areas around which these filth operate, the demographics alone might give you a clue. Good god people still havent woken up to it, there really is no hope for the UK.
Diesel10
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 03:00 PMSeems to me there is obviously different types of paedophile type behaviour ranging from the predatory one who will attack their victims and are just screwed in the head to those who seem to make some kind of effort to woo'n'groom their victims, ply them with drink and phones and play on the fact they are maturing, becoming interested in boys and take their advances as a compliment not realising they are being abused and used. And I'm sure there are many types inbetween ranging from family members to those in positions of trust. Trying to catch these vermin must be difficult job as they are all so sneaky and cunning.
Yankeebravo
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 01:55 PMTonyjames; do your research. Perpetrators of sexual abuse are most likely to be white males, single, aged between 30 and 50 and probably unemployed or on low incomes. While the media may enjoy focusing on the actions of offenders from ethnic minorities, one needs to consider difference between fact and reported fiction (which you clearly haven't). You might also wish to consider the increased sexualisation of children in the press and associated media, especially young women and girls, as having an impact. As the other poster said, context matters.
Preston Regardless
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 01:47 PM... you have given yourself a very apt name.. : 0 )
Pedantic Poster
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 01:24 PMof course i dont mean to sound as an apologist. what i was trying to get across was the the lep has habit of printing stories with figures like this, but then leaving out context. this is inexcusably sloppy journalism. a proper headline would be "80 reported cases cases results in 80 convictions" or "80 reports results in 1 conviction - 79 unfounded". without this information the story is meaningless and unncessarily frightening.
Preston Regardless
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 12:43 PMtonyjames****** Your interpretations of this (shocking) story are perverse... and frankly, rather worrying. **** As for Pedantic Poster... Maybe you don't intend it, but you sound like an apologist for these predatory men. ********. The article suggests that the 80 reports are just the tip of the iceberg, so even if some of those 80 are reports of the same incident (I'm not sure why you suspect they might be).... this is a genuinely scary story for young people, and parents of young people.
tonyjames
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 10:25 AM"the offenders should not be regarded in a different light to any other child sex offender" ie) we will never admit that this is infact a racist crime predominantly instigated by one ethnic group against another that is seen as weak and vulnerable and easily corruptable. “These people are sex offenders. In my view, for an adult to have sex with an adolescent is paedophilic behaviour" ie) in the view of detective inspector Johnathan Holmes, a white british middle class anglo saxon heterosexual protestant male. "It is certainly not a new problem" ie) Just a problem we have ignored until now (now it is completely out of control and has become a thriving industry and the norm in many lancashire communities) because of the dire racial implications.
Pedantic Poster
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 10:09 AM1 reported case does not always equal 1 crime. out of 80 reports, how many were for the same incident, and how many went on to end up with someone being charged? headlines like this without proper context are nothing more than scaremongering.
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.