Scotland ‘at risk of two-tier justice' over grooming inquiry

The Herald Scotland

17-06-2025

First Minister John Swinney yesterday told journalists that the independent Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is undertaking an extensive review of child protection policy and has the powers necessary to investigate grooming.
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Demands for a closer look at grooming gangs in Scotland follow the publication of damning report by Baroness Louise Casey, exposing decades of institutional failure to protect vulnerable children—particularly girls—from organised abuse.
The report described such crimes as 'one of the most heinous in our society' and accused authorities of turning a blind eye, failing to act on warnings, and treating victims as if they were responsible for their own exploitation.
It highlighted how children—often in care or already at risk—were coerced, raped and trafficked by multiple men, and later ignored or disbelieved by the very systems meant to protect them.
A central finding was the state's refusal to properly examine the role of ethnicity in offending patterns.
Despite numerous convictions involving groups of Asian men, often of Pakistani heritage, many agencies avoided collecting or analysing this data for fear of appearing racist or stoking community tensions. Ethnicity is currently recorded in only 37% of suspect cases.
Baroness Casey said this lack of transparency had harmed victims, undermined public trust and fuelled extremism.
The review found that grooming gangs often operated in loosely connected social networks, targeting vulnerable girls with flattery, gifts, alcohol and drugs before passing them between abusers.
Despite countless reviews and promises of reform since the high-profile scandals in Rotherham and Rochdale, Baroness Casey said little had changed in how institutions respond.
At the start of the year, the UK Government repeatedly dismissed calls for a national inquiry, arguing that the issue had already been examined in a seven-year investigation led by Professor Alexis Jay.
Instead, they commissioned Baroness Casey to conduct a review of the grooming gang evidence.
Her searing report—and call for a full statutory inquiry into grooming gangs—prompted the Prime Minister to change position.
On Tuesday, Shadow Scottish Secretary Andrew Bowie wrote to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, welcoming the probe and urging her to expand the UK inquiry's remit to cover Scotland.
'To exclude Scotland risks creating a two-tier system of justice,' he warned. 'Victims of grooming gangs in Scotland must not and cannot be overlooked.'
He said there was 'clear evidence that victims have been trafficked into Scotland as part of organised exploitation networks'.
Mr Bowie pointed to a 2016 grooming gang operating in Glasgow, where at least 44 victims were forced into prostitution and abused mentally, physically and financially. A Romanian gang was found responsible for the rape and sexual abuse of women in Dundee.
The inquiry, he said, could follow the model of the Covid Inquiry, with co-operation between governments and parallel hearings where necessary.
'It is essential that the voices of Scottish victims are heard and appropriate lessons learned,' he said. 'The Home Secretary must work with the Scottish Government to agree the scope of the inquiry.'
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Meanwhile, Ms Reid, the MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, said there was little information on the scale of the problem in Scotland.
She told the Daily Record: 'Young women and girls are being exploited by organised grooming gangs in Scotland. Strathclyde University's Professor Alexis Jay, the UK's leading expert on sexual exploitation, made this clear to MPs earlier in the year.
'We have even less understanding about the scale of this problem in Scotland. That is simply unacceptable. It is vital Scotland is fully engaged with any statutory inquiry.'
She added: 'If the Scottish Government does not intend to hold its own dedicated inquiry, we need clear reasons why—not the vague responses we have had so far. This issue is too serious and urgent to leave unanswered.'
Announcing the inquiry in the Commons on Monday, Ms Cooper gave an 'unequivocal apology' to victims and said it was time to 'expose this depravity to the light'. The inquiry will be able to order local deep dives, investigate past failings and examine whether existing systems are still letting down young people at risk.
The First Minister was asked on Monday—ahead of the publication of Baroness Casey's review—about Sir Keir Starmer's decision to hold an inquiry, and whether there was a need to do something similar in Scotland.
He said: 'The Prime Minister has obviously taken his own decision in relation to grooming gangs.
'We established the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry some years ago. It has extensive scope and the ability to explore many—and all—of these issues.
'There will, of course, be other processes of inquiry undertaken when that is appropriate.
'I would give every consideration to an issue of this type if I felt it was necessary to be undertaken—and we will do that in the fullness of time.'
Responding to Ms Reid's comments in the Daily Record, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The independent Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is undertaking an extensive review of child protection policy in Scotland and will report with recommendations.
'We have also established a national multi-agency Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group. All healthcare and education professionals already have a duty to report child abuse. The case for mandatory reporting more widely remains under active consideration.'