Families are preparing for the return of convicted UK grooming gang members who once terrorized the city of Oxford.
As some offenders are released from prison, local residents say they fear the abuse of vulnerable girls could begin again.
Operation Bullfinch led to 24 men from Oxford being convicted for a range of crimes including rape, human trafficking, and child prostitution.
Many were from British-Pakistani backgrounds and received lengthy sentences, some spanning over a decade.
However, investigators said dozens of other suspects were never charged.
Now, several offenders are back on the streets.
One of them is former Domino’s delivery driver Kamar “K Dawg” Jamil, who served ten years of a life sentence with a minimum 12-year term for four rapes and two child prostitution offences.
Jamil’s case was among the most violent linked to the grooming gang.
According to evidence from court, Jamil and others took a young teen to a wooded area, threatened to kill her, and raped her.
One mother, whose daughter was a victim of a grooming gang, said she believes the problem never went away.
“I imagine there’s still plenty of opportunities for it to continue,” she told The Times.
“I think they will go back to their old ways. There were a number of people I was aware of, and my daughter was aware of, who were not ever charged with anything.”
Her concerns reflect the findings of a senior investigating officer Simon Morton, who first revealed how dozens of reports of child sexual abuse were tied to one organized crime group in Oxford.
According to Morton, “the guys we couldn’t catch are still out there,” and the nature of the crime continues to change as groomers use social media to find potential victims.
A 2015 report found that up to 373 children in Oxfordshire may have been targeted.
Many were lured to hotel rooms and forced to perform sex acts on men paying hundreds of pounds.
Some girls as young as 11 were raped, trafficked, and impregnated.
Others were branded with their rapist’s initials.
Local leaders say they are determined to prevent a repeat of past failures.
Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber admitted that police, social services, and the county council “failed hundreds of young girls.”
Barber said that no one is “turning a blind eye” today.
Still, some officials worry about complacency.
Eddie Reeves, Conservative leader in the local council, said the success of Operation Bullfinch led people to believe there was no longer a “systemic threat.”
Reeves argued that Morton’s warnings prove the danger has not disappeared.
Recent data from the National Police Chiefs Council showed 717 on-street grooming offences were recorded across Britain last year, though Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the House of Commons the real figure is likely far higher.
Investigators say social media now plays a bigger role in grooming, making it easier for abusers to find children in care or from troubled homes.
For those impacted, the reality is grim.
The mother of the Oxford victim called it “horrendous” to think her child’s abusers could still be operating.
While some officials say they have strong procedures in place, critics note that many alleged abusers were never charged and may remain active in networks stretching beyond Oxford.
Police vow to continue to prosecute grooming gangs, but for families, the fear is already here.
As one mother told The Times, “My daughter was trafficked over most of the country … and those links never, ever seemed to be followed up.”
With several more offenders about to be released, many in Oxford worry that grooming gangs may once again prey on the city’s most vulnerable children.
