During a session in Parliament, Member of Parliament Rupert Lowe read aloud a series of graphic testimonies from victims of grooming gangs, drawing on transcripts from independent inquiry hearings. Lowe began his address by thanking the 260,974 British men and women who signed a petition to make the debate possible, and he welcomed survivors seated in the hall. He stated that the debate was about them and urged Parliament to listen to the testimonies and act.
Lowe read the first testimony, which described a victim who was penetrated by a man, after which the perpetrator picked up an empty bottle of Jack Daniels, forced it inside the victim, and broke the glass. The victim stated that at the time of the assault, she was about 12, nearly 13 years old. In another excerpt, a survivor recounted being held down by men who took turns orally and vaginally raping her, pinning down her arms and legs, and later threatening to kill her and harm her loved ones if she told anyone.
Further testimonies included references to comments made by perpetrators suggesting that white Christian girls were viewed as having fewer morals, while Muslim girls were described as having dignity and higher moral standing. One survivor described how a woman, who was white and had married into the family, shouted obscenities during sentencing, calling the victims “Fucking liars, lying white bitches,” and stating that God would be a witness. Another testimony indicated that race played a part in the selection of victims, noting that the girls encountered during exploitation were almost exclusively white.
Additional accounts detailed a victim who had a baby with a man whose father was an imam; the father knew of the abuse and arranged for his son to marry, restricting access to the child. Another survivor stated that she was raped by multiple police officers in different parts of the country. A separate testimony described a perpetrator putting a cigarette out on a baby’s face. One victim reported being raped by approximately 600 to 700 different men over three years, starting when she was 13 years old.
Lowe also read accounts of children being taken from children’s homes by staff members, and a 15-year-old victim who was bleeding from both her vagina and back passage but was too afraid to tell hospital staff the truth, receiving only tablets before being discharged. Other testimonies mentioned that abuse escalated around Eid and holidays, with parties growing larger and more violent. A survivor described how her Christian cross was used to break her down, with perpetrators asking, “Where is your God now?” Another victim recalled seeing 15 to 20 girls locked in dog cages inside a van, and a separate account detailed a dog being brought in to rape a victim while men filmed and laughed. Lowe concluded by stating that the rape gang inquiry report would be released in the coming days and said, “It will change Britain for good.”
