Women who were groomed and raped by gangs in Rotherham as children have alleged that serving South Yorkshire Police (SYP) officers also sexually abused them and helped facilitate their exploitation.
One survivor, known as “Willow,” said she was raped from the age of 12 in a marked police car by a uniformed officer who threatened to return her to the gang if she didn’t comply.
“Being raped once by a police officer was easier than being raped by 15 or 20 men. And I think he knew that,” she told the BBC.
Willow’s account is among 30 testimonies collected by Switalskis Solicitors as part of a civil case against South Yorkshire Police. Seventeen of the women have since agreed to cooperate with police, but many say they still do not trust the force.
The damning allegations include:
- Repeated rape by serving officers
- Girls as young as 11 being sexually exploited in exchange for drugs and money
- Officers supplying drugs to grooming gangs
- Police beating girls in custody
- Evidence being destroyed by officers
In one case, Willow said she was forced into an illegal abortion, only for the officer who abused her to later conduct her police interview. Days later, he allegedly tore up her statement and discarded it.
Emma, another survivor, said she was raped repeatedly by a police officer while in care. “He knew we wouldn’t be missed. He knew we couldn’t say anything,” she said.
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The new revelations suggest that some police officers not only failed to act but were directly involved in the abuse.
Amy Clowrey, a solicitor from Switalskis, said: “There has been no accountability in the town. Without that, there will continue to be a deep distrust of South Yorkshire Police.”
SYP now investigating its own officers
South Yorkshire Police has launched a new criminal investigation into its former officers, led by its major crime unit and overseen by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Three ex-officers have been arrested since December 2024 on suspicion of historic sexual offences committed while on duty. None have been charged.
One of the named suspects is PC Hassan Ali, whom Willow identified in a report to police as one of her abusers. She said he raped her and was also involved in supplying drugs. Ali died in January 2015, days after being put on restricted duties. He was never arrested.
SYP said complaints it received about Ali concerned inappropriate conduct—not rape—and that none of the officers currently under investigation had rape allegations against them at the time of retirement.
Former IOPC investigator Garry Harper, who worked on Operation Linden which was the watchdog’s eight-year investigation into police handling of the grooming scandal, said there was internal awareness of officers being involved in abuse and drugs. “At best it was a reputational cover-up. At worst, it was outright corruption,” he said.
The IOPC upheld 43 complaints against officers during Operation Linden, including findings of gross misconduct. However, no officer lost their job or faced criminal charges.
Calls for an independent investigation
Professor Alexis Jay, who led the original inquiry into Rotherham’s abuse scandal in 2014, said she is “shocked” that SYP is leading the current investigation into its own officers. She called for the case to be transferred to another force or an independent body such as His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICFRS).
She added: “There are many, many legitimate reasons why victims feel they cannot trust SYP. Institutions often protect their own reputation above the welfare of children.”
David Greenwood, another solicitor for the survivors, expressed concern that officers currently involved in the investigation could be protecting colleagues: “The full extent of corruption in Rotherham has yet to be exposed.”
Despite the IOPC stating there is “no conflict of interest” in the SYP-led probe, critics argue that previous failures by the force and the watchdog make another institutional whitewash likely.
The survivors say that while apologies and investigations have come and gone, justice has not been delivered. Emma described herself and others as “forgotten children… dirty little secrets.”
Willow added that without true accountability, victims would never trust the system again. “They let this happen. The same people who were supposed to protect us,” she said.
The civil case being prepared by Switalskis Solicitors aims to hold South Yorkshire Police financially accountable for the alleged abuse and systemic failure.
