A grooming gangs victim has revealed she was “laughed at” and “mocked” by police officers when trying to report the horrific abuse she endured.
Kelly Lees told GB News she suffered abuse for many years while under a care order, during which councils had a duty of care for her wellbeing.
“I was ignored and mocked,” she said. “I was laughed at by certain police officers when I reported abuse.”
“We were problems in their eyes and we were criminalised. Abuse is a crime. We are human beings and if we have to abide to the law, so do they,” Lees added.
Kelly Lees spoke on GB News about her horrific experiences
PA / GB NEWS
She said authorities only took her statements two years after her initial reports, noting “we’re still waiting today.”
Lees’s comments come as Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips faces criticism for rejecting calls for a Home Office-led public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham.
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Rotherham grooming gangCPS“I’m absolutely furious,” Lees said of Phillips’s decision. “They are scared of the truth coming out when everyone is entitled to know the truth.”
Phillips has instead advised Oldham to commission its own local inquiry, following the approach taken by other towns like Rotherham and Telford.
The decision has sparked widespread backlash, with former Prime Minister Liz Truss calling Phillips’s ministerial title “a perversion of the English language.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting indicated ministers support an inquiry, but suggested it should be locally led.
Lees spoke to Nana Akua on GB News
GB NEWS
Former Greater Manchester Police detective Maggie Oliver has criticised previous inquiries into grooming gangs, calling for an independent investigation.
Oliver, who resigned from GMP in 2012, demanded “criminal accountability” for public officials and police who “turned a blind eye” to abuse.
She said on social media that past inquiries have led “absolutely nowhere” and “wasted” millions of pounds.
“Those with vested interests who pop up when this hits the headlines then fade away again when it all dies down will not bring change,” Oliver stated.
She added that both Conservative and Labour parties are “equally to blame” for the failures.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has defended past regional inquiries while acknowledging discussions about a national review.
Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Burnham highlighted the independent review he ordered in 2017 which examined grooming in Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale.
“There has been, and is, an ongoing major inquiry, and there has been a substantial report into what happened in Oldham,” he said.
“As a result of that inquiry, there is a major police investigation, and as a result, there have been multiple arrests, charges and convictions.”
Burnham added: “I welcome the discussion of whether there should be a national inquiry.”
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