A COUNCILLOR has called for a review of grooming in the district, including the toxic attitudes of the perpetrators and the people who support them.

Councillor Simon Cooke (Con, Bingley Rural) made the call following a case that saw nine men jailed for a total of more than 132 years for their roles in the “wicked and relentless” grooming, rape and sexual exploitation of two vulnerable girls from a Bradford care home from 2008 to 2010.

Cllr Cooke said he was struck by a story in Thursday’s Telegraph & Argus that revealed that following the sentencing, some people who had attended to support the men heckled lawyers involved in the case, telling them they hoped they were raped.

He said more needed to be done locally to tackle the issue of grooming, adding: “We have heard a lot about this specific case. But when you hear of the behaviour of some of the friends of the accused in court, there seems to be a lack of willingness to accept that these people did something wrong. That attitude does worry me, and we have to be asking questions about what has caused this attitude and what we can do to stop it. We need to change the way a lot of young men, particularly young men from the Asian community, think about women. We need a proper enquiry to look into the causes of what is happening.

“I think as a Council, as politicians, we should apologise. I was in a leadership position in the early noughties, and we probably didn’t give the issue the attention it deserved.

“We need to talk openly about this issue.

“These were children in our care, and we need to say we failed, and we are sorry.”

'No major city in England and Wales seems to have escaped this problem', says judge in Bradford grooming trial

Councillor Adrian Farley, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families on Bradford Council, said: “It takes courage to stand up against perpetrators who have committed terrible crimes against you, so I want to pay tribute to the victims who showed true bravery in coming forward and giving evidence. This meant that these men could be brought to justice. I hope that the judgement helps the victims move on in their lives.

“These crimes were committed a decade ago and agencies in our district and nationally have learnt a lot since then about child sexual exploitation, how to spot the signs and how to support vulnerable young people. Tackling CSE is a top priority for us and our partners. We will not tolerate it and will do all that we can to bring the people who commit these crimes to justice.”

Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “These convictions show that no matter when crimes were committed, if victims of child sexual exploitation come forward, they will be supported, their case will be investigated and perpetrators will be caught.

“Tackling child sexual exploitation is one of the most important challenges our society faces. We’re working with our partners in schools and communities to raise awareness among young people of CSE so we can prevent crimes like this happening in the future. We all have a role to play in protecting young people by helping to identify those responsible so agencies can work with the police to bring them to justice.”

David Niven, Independent Chair of the Bradford Safeguarding Children Board, said: “Safeguarding our young people is a top priority for the District. The men who have been convicted committed vile offences against vulnerable girls between 2008 and 2009. What their convictions show is that perpetrators who carry out crimes like these will be pursued, no matter when the crimes took place.

“Thanks must go to the police for their determination in bringing this complex case to trial, and to the victims who had the courage to come forward and speak out. I hope that they feel that justice has been done with this verdict.

“The safeguarding board will look closely at this case to see if there are any lessons we can learn that could help us keep young people safer.

“If anyone has safeguarding concern, they can call 01274 437500 in confidence and speak to a trained adviser or contact the police.”