No more new investigations in Rotherham child abuse inquiry

The National Crime Agency said Operation Stovewood was the UK's largest every child sex abuse investigation

An inquiry into child abuse in Rotherham will not start any new investigations from next year, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Operation Stovewood, which began in 2014, is investigating sexual exploitation in the town which took place between 1997 and 2013.

More than 200 people have been arrested and 26 convicted, the agency said.

Philip Marshall from the NCA said officers had identified and contacted more than 1,100 victims.

"Some, for reasons that are entirely understandable, have decided not to engage with us. We respect their decisions," Mr Marshall said.

"We are now confident that we have done all we realistically can to identify those individuals who may have been victims during the Stovewood time period.

"As a result, from the start of 2024, the NCA will no longer open any new investigations, and any new allegations will be investigated by South Yorkshire Police.

"This does not mean we are walking away. We will continue to investigate in the cases we have already opened, and victims should know we will continue to treat them as a priority."

Mr Marshall added that he was "confident that should anyone new come forward after 1st January they will still be supported in exactly the same way".

A council report said that at least 1,400 children were subjected to sexual exploitation in Rotherham

The inquiry was launched after a 2014 report commissioned by Rotherham Council and written by Professor Alexis Jay said that at least 1,400 children were subjected to sexual exploitation in the town between 1997 and 2013.

Children as young as 11 were raped, trafficked, abducted, beaten, and intimidated, predominantly by men of Pakistani heritage, it said.

The NCA said the investigation was the largest ever into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse in the UK, with around around 200 officers working on the inquiry.

'Embedded learning'

South Yorkshire Police's Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Poolman said the force had "embedded the learning" from Prof Jay's report.

She said: "We have secured convictions against many perpetrators of [child sexual exploitation] and related offences in recent years and feel confident that we can properly support victims and survivors."

The force was rated outstanding at protecting vulnerable people in the most recent inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services.

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings said it was the "right decision" for the NCA to have initially established Operation Stovewood.

He said it enabled the investigation to be "independent" from South Yorkshire Police and "allow victims to have trust in the process and the confidence to come forward".

He said the force had since been "transformed" and was "in a very different place".