Police investigating what is the biggest ever case involving child sex abuse here have called in expert help from Britain.
A total of 22 suspected victims have been identified and more than 30 people arrested as part of the inquiry. Up to 150 people are believed to be involved in the grooming of vulnerable youngsters from care homes. A joint meeting of the Health and Justice Committees at Stormont have been told non of the suspects we
Many of the men under investigation in are believed to be in their 20s although some are older, including one suspect in his early 60s.
Most of those allegedly groomed for sexual purposes are girls although sources indicate one or two boys may also have been exploited and harmed.
Police today said some children involved may have been plied with drugs or alcohol and trafficked around Northern Ireland in taxis for sexual exploitation and they have called in experts from other parts of Britain – including those involved in a probe into child abuse in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said children would have been taken to parties offered drugs for free and then “have to pay that back through sexual acts.”
Mr Hamilton revealed up to 50 suspects have been identified and arrests made in each case. A number of individuals have been charged, some with non-sexual offences such as drug crimes.
Most of the children targeted – some as young as 13 – lived in residential care homes at the time of incidents but the allegations relate to periods when they were not in the facilities, such as on nights-out when they failed to return.
Mr Hamilton said a number of the suspected victims went missing 137 times from January 2011 to last summer, when a wide-ranging police investigation was launched.
Mr Hamilton added many children (boys and girls) were “offered friendship, care, love and presents and accept drugs.”
He added: “Some are then threatened and it can be a progressive set of criminality.”
Mr Hamilton told Stormont assembly members police had “some evidence” of children being put in taxis and sent to another town for the purposes of attending a party or meeting other people.
He added: “That has the hallmarks of trafficking.”
The PSNI’s investigation has been ongoing for 18 months and centres around the grooming and exploitation of vulnerable children who were approached and encouraged to leave schools, and residential and foster homes by men.
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