Sexual Terrorism in Britain

Users of Twitter/X have been inundated recently with material about Britain’s “grooming gangs.” For those who are outside of England and infrequently read British newspapers, the sudden onslaught of information is overwhelming: What are the “grooming gangs,” what has been done about them, and why the renewed public interest — particularly since some of the crimes occurred over a decade ago? Well, I’ll try to provide a simple synopsis. Here are some key facts.

Since at least the 1990s, networks of abusive men in England have sexually exploited thousands of young girls. Generally, the gangs recruit youngish males to pose as generous boyfriends and seduce young girls with gifts; eventually, the girls (sometimes as young as eleven) are introduced to drugs, older men, and prostitution. To call these pimps “groomers” or “grooming gangs” is woefully misleading, since such terms distract from the repulsive sex crimes. Consider the sentencing remarks from a 2013 case in Oxford. Mohammed Karrar (who was in his 30s) anally raped an eleven-year-old girl. When she became pregnant at age 15, he took her to receive an illegal abortion. He gave her drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin. On one occasion, Karrar prepared her for anal gang rape by using a pump to expand her anal passage. Later, she simultaneously had four men inside her, while a ball was placed in her mouth to silence her. Karrar treated that girl like cattle, branding his initial on her rear with a hot hair pin. Simply put, the “grooming gangs” are better characterized as torturous child prostitution rings that commit sexual terrorism.

About the Author

Abigail Anthony

Abigail Anthony is a staff writer at National Review.

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Users of Twitter/X have been inundated recently with material about Britain’s “grooming gangs.” For those who are outside of England and infrequently read British newspapers, the sudden onslaught of information is overwhelming: What are the “grooming gangs,” what has been done about them, and why the renewed public interest — particularly since some of the crimes occurred over a decade ago? Well, I’ll try to provide a simple synopsis. Here are some key facts.

Since at least the 1990s, networks of abusive men in England have sexually exploited thousands of young girls. Generally, the gangs recruit youngish males to pose as generous boyfriends and seduce young girls with gifts; eventually, the girls (sometimes as young as eleven) are introduced to drugs, older men, and prostitution. To call these pimps “groomers” or “grooming gangs” is woefully misleading, since such terms distract from the repulsive sex crimes. Consider the sentencing remarks from a 2013 case in Oxford. Mohammed Karrar (who was in his 30s) anally raped an eleven-year-old girl. When she became pregnant at age 15, he took her to receive an illegal abortion. He gave her drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin. On one occasion, Karrar prepared her for anal gang rape by using a pump to expand her anal passage. Later, she simultaneously had four men inside her, while a ball was placed in her mouth to silence her. Karrar treated that girl like cattle, branding his initial on her rear with a hot hair pin. Simply put, the “grooming gangs” are better characterized as torturous child prostitution rings that commit sexual terrorism.