NCA arrests Rotherham man over CSE offences

NATIONAL Crime Agency officers have this morning arrested a Rotherham man in connection with child sexual exploitation.

The man, who has not yet been named, is suspected of rape, indecent assault and administering drugs to obtain or facilitate intercourse.

All of the offences relate to a girl aged under 16.

NCA officers took the suspect to a South Yorkshire police station, where they will interview him.

His arrest is connected with Operation Stovewood, an investigation into non-familial child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

The NCA is a national law enforcement agency established in 2013, nicknamed the British FBI.

Its Operation Stovewood currently has 42 suspects and has contacted 141 victims and survivors so far.

There are currently 17 major investigations underway as part of the operation — 14 people previously arrested remain on bail.