The notion that Pakistanis are largely responsible for grooming gang crimes has been a topic of debate for years. However, official data disputes this conclusion, fueling ongoing discussion about the accuracy of these figures.
Recently, three brothers from Sheffield were sentenced to 40 years in prison for the rape and sexual abuse of five girls between 2004 and 2008. While the case shared characteristics with those labeled as grooming gangs, it was not officially described as such by prosecutors or investigators. The perpetrators were Pakistani, a demographic often associated with such cases.
Grooming gang crimes typically involve children coerced or deceived into sex through gifts, alcohol, drugs, or a claimed relationship, and then passed to other men for further abuse. While other ethnicities have been linked to these cases, including Iraqi, Bangladeshi, Indian, Iranian, and Turkish, the issue remains contentious.
Political correctness has been cited as a factor in the cover-up of these crimes, with some arguing that the police and liberal media avoid attributing the crimes to migrants or Pakistanis. However, a 2018 case in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, highlights the issue, with 20 men convicted of more than 120 offences against 15 girls as young as 11.
The case involved a ringleader who was sentenced to life in prison, while other sentences ranged from five to 18 years. However, details of the convictions, including the offenders' ethnicity, could not be published until reporting restrictions were lifted. Former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson was arrested for reporting on the case via livestream while the restrictions were in effect.
Government documents, including child safety training materials, have been criticized for refusing to acknowledge that the problem centers on foreign-born perpetrators. Standardized training materials presented a hypothetical example describing 'men belonging to a particular religion' committing 'violent crimes against women' and instructed staff to identify it as 'disinformation' and an 'online safety risk.'
A 2025 audit by Baroness Louise Casey found that the scale of group-based child sexual exploitation could not be assessed nationally due to inconsistent definitions and incomplete data. The audit also stated that ethnicity was not recorded for two-thirds of perpetrators nationally, making it difficult to determine the true extent of the problem.
A 2017 report by the Quilliam think tank concluded that 84% of group-based child sexual exploitation offenders were of South Asian origin, but this finding was widely disputed. Official figures suggest that the Pakistani share of suspects with known ethnicity is 6.9%, compared with a 2.7% Pakistani share of the population of England and Wales.
A recent audit found that flawed data had been used to dismiss claims of disproportionality, and disputed the 'majority white' framing built on these figures. The audit also found that some authorities discouraged publicizing convictions to avoid increasing community tensions.
Cases have been documented in several areas, including Rotherham, Rochdale, Oldham, Telford, Oxford, Bradford/Keighley, Derby, and Newcastle. In Rotherham, the 2014 Jay Report found that group-based child sexual exploitation affected an estimated 1,400 girls between 1997 and 2013, abused predominantly by men of Pakistani heritage.
Victims or their families had approached social services and police on several occasions, but accusations had previously been made about some of the offenders. In Oxford, seven men were convicted of offences that had taken place from 2004 to 2011, including rape and arranging child prostitution.
In Rochdale, nine men were convicted in 2012 under Operation Span, with one of the ringleaders working as a welfare-rights officer despite having already been accused of child sexual abuse. In Newcastle, 17 men from various communities were convicted in 2017, but the presiding judge ruled that the girls had not been targeted because of their race.
