Scottish government orders review of grooming gangs evidence

The Scottish authorities has announced a nationalist reappraisal of the grounds connected the cognition of grooming gangs successful the country.

It volition beryllium carried retired by an autarkic expert, and the results volition pass a aboriginal determination connected whether oregon not determination should beryllium a judge-led nationalist inquiry.

Details of the autarkic reappraisal were unveiled astatine Holyrood during a Scottish Labour-led statement connected transparency successful tackling group-based kid intersexual exploitation and abuse.

Professor Alexis Jay, who led the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse successful England and Wales, has agreed to seat Scotland's National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group from January 2026.

The enactment volition beryllium undertaken alongside that of the autarkic Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, arsenic good arsenic enactment already nether mode by Police Scotland to reappraisal erstwhile cases, to stitchery grounds connected the grade of group-related kid intersexual maltreatment and exploitation.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: "We person been wide that we are prepared to springiness each information to an enquiry connected this issue, and that immoderate specified determination needs to beryllium based connected information, grounds and a greater knowing of the standard and quality of this signifier of maltreatment and of the responses to it.

"Professor Alexis Jay has extended expertise successful this area, and her insights volition beryllium invaluable to ministers arsenic this enactment is taken forward."

Professor Jay said she was "pleased" to instrumentality connected the relation of chair.

She added: "There is overmuch to do, and bash quickly."

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The nationalist reappraisal follows respective high-profile cases, including the "beastie house" paedophile ringing successful Glasgow and the recently-sentenced Romanian grooming pack successful Dundee.

In November, a young pistillate claimed she was the victim of an alleged Pakistani grooming gang operating crossed Glasgow and South Lanarkshire.

Taylor, which is not her existent name, wrote to First Minister John Swinney with claims of however she was preyed connected by astatine slightest 10 men erstwhile she was 13-years-old and successful care.

A nationalist enquiry into grooming gangs is to 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 a nationalist inquiry, but it was rejected.

Scottish Tory person Russell Findlay called for a "full and fearless autarkic enquiry into the standard of grooming pack activity".

Mr Findlay said: "The SNP person yet been shamed into taking action, but this doesn't spell acold enough."