The father of a grooming gang victim has declared he is “not convinced” by the upcoming inquiry after it was confirmed that the investigation will look into “ethnicity, culture or religion”.Speaking to GB News, Marlon West said that although he “welcomes” the update in terms of reference, he still believes it will be a “postcode lottery” regarding “where the enquiries are going to take place”.The grooming gangs inquiry has published its terms of reference, including confirmation that it will probe whether ethnicity, culture or religion played a part in the nationwide scandal, and the response to it.The terms of reference will be laid before Parliament when it returns from recess on April 13, after which the full investigation will formally begin.
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Asked by host Miriam Cates whether he “welcomes” the changes made to the terms of reference, Mr West agreed, but admitted he is “not convinced” by the changes.He told GB News: “I hope I’m completely wrong, but I still feel it’s going to be a postcode lottery as far as where the enquiries are going to take place. “What a lot of people don’t understand is the local authority’s police forces are covered up and suppressed. A lot of these survivors, they haven’t got evidence, so how are they going to target the areas where the grooming has been happening, even even for myself in Tameside? I very much doubt the enquiry will take place there.”Mr West also expressed his support for Baroness Longfield’s decision to report during the inquiry itself rather than waiting until 2029, but again admitted he is “not convinced”.He stressed: “What they need to do is reassure the public and more importantly, reassure the survivors and the families.”Recalling the abuse his daughter suffered at the hands of a grooming gang, Mr West told GB News that he himself faced criticism for “not keeping his daughter safe”.He said: “My daughter was groomed from 14 to 18, and she was groomed in Tameside, then trafficked, possibly around most of the country, but particularly Bradford.”I didn’t get any support. I was criticised for not keeping my daughter safe. In the end, I needed to put her into care. It is so hard as a parent to admit that you cannot keep your child safe, and I put her in care for about 18 months. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Full extent of grooming gangs inquiry finally unveiled – and it WILL examine ethnicity and religionYouth centre failed to report rape of girl, 16, as ‘Muslim boys already under enough scrutiny’Vital grooming gangs evidence may have been destroyed thanks to bungling civil servants”And when she came back into my care, and again with very limited support, she was groomed again tenfold. And there was nothing I could do about it. Professionals said to me at the time, ‘she’s 16 now, she can consent’, which was disgusting.”Revealing the ongoing mental impact on his daughter, Mr West admitted: “My daughter is 21 now. We are extremely close, but she is unwell. She has good days, she has bad days. She’s functional, but she still has not had any therapy. “She is no different from any of the other survivors, and I will advocate for parents as well. I’ve never had any therapy, and it had real effects on myself as well as her, but nothing has been offered.”Expressing hope that the inquiry will bring “accountability” to those who failed to “safeguard” victims, Mr West concluded: “Actions speak more than words. Families and survivors all say the same thing – accountability of the professionals who were not safeguarding the children, and also, importantly, the actual groomers who are raping the children, that they are prosecuted. “So those are the two big things that I’ve campaigned for for the last few years. If that comes off, brilliant, but again, I just don’t have any confidence.”Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “The grooming gangs scandal is one of the darkest moments in our country’s history – where the most vulnerable people were abused and exploited at the hands of evil child rapists.”The independent national inquiry will now begin its crucial work to uncover how these crimes were allowed to happen and root out failure wherever it occurred.”The chair and I have agreed that the inquiry will be laser focused on grooming gangs and will explicitly examine the role of ethnicity, religion and culture of the offenders and in the response of institutions.”There will be no hiding place for the predatory monsters who committed these vile crimes.”
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