Hundreds of suspects identified in child sex abuse investigation

TWENTY-nine “designated suspects and hundreds more potential suspects” have been identified by police investigating historic sexual abuse in Rotherham.

Eighty-two child sexual exploitation survivors have helped police from the National Crime Agency (NCA) uncover 91 “serious sexual offences”.

The information has been released by the NCA as part of its 12-month Operation Stovewood update which is an independent investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse in Rotherham between 1997-2013.

Operation Stovewoood covers the geography and time period of the Jay Report.

An NCA spokesman said: “Victim interviews can take many weeks or months to arrange and often have to be conducted over a number of weeks. 

“One victim Stovewood interviewed has provided information about nine further victims, 17 witnesses and 40 potential suspects. 

“This demonstrates the scale and complexity of sexual abuse under investigation.”

The investigation is being conducted at the request of South Yorkshire Police and is the largest on-going law-enforcement investigation into non-familial CSE in the UK at this time.

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