Drugged, gang-raped, burned alive: 5 cases reveal horror of UK grooming gangs

A girl from Rotherham in England had been raped from the age of 13 to 15 and believed her mother would be the next victim. A 15-year-old was told at all times that she was a bullet away from death. Sometimes beaten with claw hammers, other times brutally raped and silenced.

Several white girls in the UK were befriended by young Muslim men and then passed on to older men who would become their boyfriends. What followed was gang rapes and several degrees of other forms of violence. These stories of grooming gangs, operating in the UK since the 90s, could send a chill down anyone's spine.

The grooming gangs and their nefarious activities made headlines due to the remarks by Tesla boss, Elon Musk, who called out UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, for not acting against them.

These grooming gangs had a pattern: girls as young as 10-year-old girls in Rotherham, Oldham and other areas were lured by Pakistani-origin men, then taken to older men who would control and manipulate them. These young girls would then be gang-raped by these men and their relatives and friends for years. The authorities also did not act when these women reported their abuse as they allegedly tried to avoid hurting cultural senstivities in the UK.

Investigations by counties, accounts by survivors and media reports have revealed the extent of sexual abuse and violence used by the members of the grooming gangs, who were predominantly Pakistani men. However, people are demanding a probe across the UK to find out the real extent of the crimes of these gangs.

Here are five cases that reveal the horrors perpetrated by grooming gangs in the UK.

1. THE HUSSAIN BROTHERS WHO TRAUMATISED MANY

Jessica (name changed), 14, was first abused by Arshid Hussain, 24. At first, he was gentle and kind to her, but what gradually followed were many forms of manipulation—control, isolation, and coercion.

“It became like the only person in my world was him,” she told the BBC. He even convinced her that her family members, who were trying to help her, were against her and were jealous of her. She believed in what he said.

But then there was anger and violence.

There were times when she felt that he would kill her at any moment. Raped, tormented, and scared, Jessica and many women like her had lost all hope.

Many people who were victimised by the Hussain brothers—Arshid, Bannaras Hussain, and Basharat Hussain—were scared of what they could do to them.

They had locked up a girl for several weeks, and she had to “pay her way” out, according to a Guardian report.

The victims even had long-term impacts from the abuse.

One girl only undressed in the dark because she had started hating her body, suffered from depression, and had eating disorders.

This has been seen in many victims of grooming gang abuses.

2. LOUISE, ABUSED BY OVER 100 MEN

A girl, Louise (name changed), who spoke to Sky News, described how she had been raped by more than 100 men in Telford.

“He would take me around the corner of the restaurant, and he would have sex with me," she said. “Then he would pin me down so all the rest of the restaurant workers could do it to me.”

She did not report the crimes to the police because she was young and scared of the consequences for herself and her family.

“I didn’t think about going to the police back then because I was too scared because of what they used to say to me," she said.

“They said they would blow my house up and would kill my mum and dad. They said they would rape my mum if I told anyone," added Louise. “And after what happened to Lucy Lowe, they said I would be next.”

For many in Telford, Lucy Lowe’s case became an example.

3. THE MURDER OF LUCY LOWE AND HER FAMILY

On August 5, 2000, a 26-year-old taxi driver, Azhar Ali Mehmood, burned a Telford home in the UK. This was the house of 16-year-old Lucy Lowe, with whom he had a relationship since she was 12.

The fire killed her, her unborn child, her sister Sarah, and her mother, Eileen Linda. Mehmood left with their love child, Tasnim. He had raped Lowe multiple times and "subjugated" her in several ways.

She was also raped several times.

He then took away their love child, Tasnim, who was wrapped in blankets, from the home.

Many years later, Tasnim would be part of a documentary and would discuss how the authorities did not help Lowe and her family enough to protect them from Azhar Ali Mehmood.

An enquiry into the Telford case found how several such cases were overlooked by the authorities.

Lucy’s murder was shown as an example for anyone who sought help against the perpetrators.

4. 'I WAS ABUSED BY MEN FROM ALL OVER,' SAID RUBY

Ruby (name changed) had been invited for just food and drinks. But what would follow was horrific.

“They gave us a litre of vodka with no mixer and 10 fags. So by the time we went in the other room, we were all really drunk,” the girls told the BBC.

Finally, when these girls entered, 30–40 men awaited them. They were raped one after the other by these men all night.

“They’d get our numbers, they’d come to the schools, they’d come near my house, they’d come everywhere, and they’d look for us and find us.”

Ruby said that she was raped “over a hundred times by men all over the country.”

She approached sexual health clinics, social services, and schools.

“We told schools, and social services knew what was happening. Again, nothing happened, so we went there, but we were given flavoured condoms and sent away.”

She even had an abortion at the age of 13. Her DNA was taken without informing her to match it to the perpetrators.

After years, one of her perpetrators was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. But four years later, she saw him in a local shop and ran as quickly as possible to her home and locked herself up in fear.

5. SCARLETT, NOW IN THE 40s, REVEALS THE HORRORS

Scarlett, now in her 40s, spoke to The US Sun and was also a survivor of the grooming gang. Scarlett's first instance of sexual abuse was by her father at the age of 8.

Several years later, a “good-looking Pakistani man with perfect teeth and his own car" would enter her life. He was a part of the grooming gang.

Her abuse by them would begin at the age of 14.

On meeting the Pakistani-origin man, he took her to an empty house and raped her. She did not even realise that she had been raped. Only later could she fathom the abuse.

She even thought he loved her.

But he soon started "using" her "for sex". After having multiple episodes of unprotected sex, she realised she was pregnant. He even paid a woman to batter her stomach, which would lead to a miscarriage. Her child was, however, born.

The child and the girl then lived under a 3:30 curfew. If she disobeyed, she would be beaten black and blue. He also started sending her to other men. She was raped by multiple people thereafter.

It would take years for Scarlett to speak up and share her story. But even now, the grooming gang cases remain neglected.

These stories are just five horrific stories out of thousands of stories of the grooming gang's gang rapes across several regions in the UK. These gangs have operated since the 90s, but the authorities concerned have been lenient in acting against their heinous crimes. Admission that a big problem exists in British society would be the first step in trying to deliver justice to thousands of these survivors.