First minister 'open' to national inquiry into grooming gangs in Scotland

A pistillate claiming to beryllium a unfortunate of an alleged Pakistani grooming pack has urged Scotland's archetypal curate to motorboat a nationalist inquiry.

Taylor, which is not her existent name, has written to John Swinney with claims of however she was preyed connected by astatine slightest 10 men erstwhile she was 13 years aged and successful care.

Mr Swinney said the authorities was "open" to launching an enquiry into grooming gangs successful Scotland.

The woman, who is present successful her 20s, says she and her friends were sexually abused and exploited aft being plied with intoxicant and drugs.

The alleged pack was said to person operated from flats successful the Govanhill country of Glasgow and Rutherglen successful South Lanarkshire.

In her letter, Taylor says it is "clear" specified maltreatment is inactive ongoing successful Scotland arsenic she called for a accelerated audit into grooming gangs crossed the country.

She added: "A afloat enquiry into grooming gangs successful Scotland indispensable travel immoderate audit successful bid to support children suffering now, and immoderate imaginable victims successful the future."

Taylor's plea comes pursuing respective high-profile cases, including the "beastie house" paedophile ringing successful Glasgow and the precocious sentenced Romanian grooming pack successful Dundee.

A nationalist enquiry into grooming gangs will instrumentality spot successful England and Wales but 1 has not been acceptable up successful Scotland.

The Scottish Conservatives attempted to adhd an amendment to the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill successful September which would person seen an inquiry, but it was rejected.

Taylor's plight was highlighted during First Minister's Questions by Scottish Tory person Russell Findlay.

Mr Swinney acknowledged receipt of the missive and shared his "admiration for her courageousness to talk retired connected specified an important and precise hard subject".

The archetypal curate added: "I americium profoundly saddened to perceive of immoderate cases of intersexual abuse."

Mr Swinney said the Scottish authorities is taking enactment done the enactment of the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group.

He added: "The authorities has remained unfastened to the question of a grooming gangs inquiry, but determination is simply a bid of steps being taken to research these issues astatine the contiguous moment."

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Mr Findlay raised concerns from Taylor that Police Scotland allegedly failed to analyse her complaints.

She said she contacted the archetypal curate and the unit straight aft uncovering "upsetting information" wrong her attraction records.

Taylor said she had initially believed the attraction home, constabulary and societal services "knew nothing" astir the alleged maltreatment she suffered, but her records "say different".

She said she had chosen to "make definite my dependable is heard" aft receiving "dismissive replies" from Mr Swinney and Police Scotland.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "A ailment astir the constabulary was received successful September 2025.

"The complainer was spoken to and we confirmed accusation had been passed to us, but since nary study was made to constabulary successful notation to immoderate crime, this ailment did not acceptable the criteria arsenic a ailment astir the police.

"The complainer was advised she should marque a study to constabulary if she had been a unfortunate of a crime. The complainer confirmed she was blessed to person the ailment closed with this advice."

Highlighting the force's effect to Taylor's complaint, Mr Swinney reiterated that his authorities remains unfastened to the question of a grooming gangs inquiry.

He added: "But what I americium satisfied astir is that the constabulary volition code these issues and that our judicial strategy volition code them too, and we volition bespeak connected whether determination is immoderate further scrutiny that is required successful the airy of those investigations."

In a connection after, Mr Findlay said the archetypal curate "must not hide his caput successful the sand".

The MSP for West Scotland added: "Taylor and different victims accidental determination indispensable beryllium a grooming gangs enquiry successful Scotland to uncover the standard of the abuse, wherefore it was allowed to spell unchecked and to guarantee that it cannot continue.

"Victims bash not spot that what happened to them volition beryllium afloat investigated by organisations they judge turned a unsighted oculus oregon adjacent engaged successful covering up what happened.

"The authorities' actions should beryllium independently examined to found what precisely has happened."