The Met Police is set to reexamine 9,000 cases of child exploitation as part of a major review into grooming gangs in London.
The development comes after a Standard investigation uncovered cases of vulnerable young girls from across the capital who reported allegations of rape from multiple men but saw inadequate police action.
In some incidences, children as young as 11 who reported being raped saw trials against their attackers collapse and were left to become victims of further abuse.
Suspected grooming gang and child exploitation cases from the last 15 years will be reviewed as part of the investigation, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said in letter to Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan on Friday evening.
“The Met is undertaking an assessment of all such offences over the past 15 years, alongside all other forces,” Sir Mark said.
“The current criteria will require us to re-assess approximately 9,000 investigations over the period, approximately 600 per year, to identify whether there are any potential missed or new investigative lines of enquiry or extant risks, including any safeguarding requirements or opportunities to bring offenders to justice.
“Recent reports in the Evening Standard and other media of historic group-based offending will be reviewed as part of this work. The initial assessments will be completed by April 2026.”
A government-ordered audit into the grooming gangs scandal earlier this year found there is “mismatch” in the way the Met and London local authorities record child abuse.
Baroness Louise Casey’s report said the force logged 2.77 contact child sexual abuse cases per 1,000 children, while boroughs recorded just 1.3 child-in-need assessments for child sexual exploitation and 1.79 for child sexual abuse.
There also appears to be a significant overlap between child sexual abuse and county lines drug trafficking gangs.
Sir Mark said: “Any sexual offending against children is abhorrent but group-based offending, including that characterised as ‘Grooming Gangs’, is particularly insidious and devasting in its profound impact on the children affected.”
He added that Scotland Yard is currently investigating 716 cases of child sexual abuse “involving lone or multiple offenders” and 654 case of child criminal exploitation cases reported since the beginning of April.
“We will follow the evidence without fear or favour”, the Commissioner said.
There has been pressure on the Mayor to do more to examine whether grooming gangs that sexually exploit children are opperating in the capital.
When Sir Sadiq was questioned about it earlier this year, he said the focus in the city was primarily on county lines drug dealing.
A source close to Sir Sadiq said: “This information has been published because the mayor demanded full transparency and has consistently asked the Met to leave no stone unturned when investigating these appalling crimes.”
Young girls from multiple London boroughs were found with adult men days after going missing and, despite alleging sexual assault, saw inadequate police action, reports uncovered by the Standard show.
They include Olivia*, from Lambeth, who was missing from care when she was discovered in a hotel room with six adult men in March 2022.
The 17-year-old was under the influence of class A drugs and alcohol. Two men had raped her, she said, while others filmed the attack.
A review published by Lambeth Council this year revealed that there had been concerns she was at risk of child exploitation since she was aged 13.
A man was charged with sexually exploiting her when she was 15 years old, but he was not convicted and the experience of giving evidence had been “very traumatic” for the young teenager, the report said.
During her time in care, she was reported missing 59 times and was sometimes placed as far away as Scotland.
There were six allegations of rape or sexual assault, six incidents of physical assault and seven times where indecent images of her were recorded circulating online during this time.
Despite evidence of exploitation, Olivia was at times blamed for her situation, the report found and was accused of “placing herself at risk”, the report said.
A report commissioned by Croydon Council into the case of a teenager who took her own life revealed she had been “repeatedly exploited and traumatised”.
Chloe* came to police and social services attention aged 11 and was assessed as being vulnerable to child sexual exploitation.
She had reported being raped and tests showed she had three sexually transmitted diseases.
A trial in relation to her assault before her 12th birthday ended in a not guilty verdict. The reasons for the outcome were “unclear”, the review said.
She was 17 years old when she took her own life in a state of mental crisis, the report, published in October 2023 said. Her death came after five years in care placements across the country.
She had lived in at least 18 different “homes” and was placed in secure accommodation on four occasions. Many of her placements ended because of concerns that a particular establishment could not keep her safe.
Another report, also from Lambeth Council this year, was commissioned after 15-year-old Mara* was found with two adult men three days after going missing from care.
She had alleged a rape in 2021 while in foster care, but a referral was not completed until nine months later and there were delays in her receiving a Child Sexual Abuse medical and being interviewed.
After being found with the men, she spent nearly 24 hours in a police station and two nights in a hotel before a new care placement was arranged.
Sir Mark said: “We know that, historically and across the UK, the cases of these child victims have not always been recognised and thoroughly investigated. Too often, victims have been disbelieved and even judged at times.
“The Met is committed to safeguarding all victims of these terrible offences and wherever possible bringing those responsible to justice.”
If you have a story you would like to share with the Standard, please email: news@standard.co.uk
