Five women, who allege they were victimised as children by Rotherham grooming groups, have also asserted that they were raped by South Yorkshire Police officers at the age of 12.
In one instance, a girl who disclosed the abuse after being coerced by the gang to undergo an illegal abortion was left “devastated” when an officer, who allegedly raped her, arrived to do the questioning.
Three former police officers have been apprehended in connection with an investigation into purported assaults, as announced by the South Yorkshire Police (SYP), while a fourth former officer, who faced allegations, has since deceased.
A girl was raped in a designated police vehicle by an active police officer, who threatened to return her to a gang to endure “multiple rapes” if she did not acquiesce.
The ladies allege that corrupt police officers either ignored or engaged in the grooming activities from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s.
The extensive scandal impacted a minimum of 1,400 girls in Rotherham and persisted until at least 2013.
The SYP is conducting a criminal inquiry into the conduct of its officers, supervised by the police oversight body.
Prof Alexis Jay, the chair of the independent inquiry into grooming gangs, told the BBC she was “shocked” by this. There were “many, many legitimate causes for victims and survivors at the time to feel a total lack of trust in SYP”, she said.
Jay added: “In far too many cases, the priority for the institution, of whatever kind, is to protect their reputation rather than prioritising the welfare of children and the devastating effect that sexual abuse can have.”
She called for the investigation into the South Yorkshire Police officers to be led by another police force or His Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary and fire and rescue services (HMICFRS), the body in charge of inspecting police forces.
The Yorkshire law firm Switalskis, which gathered testimony from 30 women who were abused by grooming gangs in Rotherham as part of a civil case against South Yorkshire Police, described the cases as “beyond belief”.
The firm said it did not have confidence that evidence would not be buried by South Yorkshire Police through loyalties to those under investigation.
“There has been no accountability in the town – and without accountability, there will continue to be a distrust of South Yorkshire police,” said Amy Clowrey from Switalskis.
None of the former officers arrested by South Yorkshire Police since December 2024 have yet been charged, though one of the accused men can be named as PC Hassan Ali. He died in 2015, a week after being put on restricted duties due to alleged misconduct relating to the grooming gangs scandal.
The woman who accused Ali told the BBC: “The first time, he literally said: ‘You do it for the other officer. So you’re gonna do it for me.’”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this website, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.