UK Politics

[Phylo]

What happened to “Sam”​

• In 2006, a 12‑year‑old girl in Oldham went alone to Oldham police station late at night after being indecently assaulted in the grounds of Oldham Parish Church by an unknown Asian man.[oldham-chronicle.co]
• Staff at the front desk told her to come back with an adult when she was not drunk, and she was effectively turned away without being safeguarded, even though she was obviously a child in distress.[news.sky]
• As she left the station, men who had been in or near the police station offered her a lift “home”; instead they sexually assaulted and raped her in a car, then abandoned her.[oldham-chronicle.co]
• Seeking help again, she accepted assistance from another man, Sarwar Ali, who took her to a house where he raped her.[oldham-chronicle.co]
• Later, another man, Shakil Chowdhury, picked her up and took her to a different house on Attock Close, where he and four other men raped her repeatedly over several hours; in total, over a 24‑hour period, eight men are reported to have attacked and raped her.[news.sky]

Only one of those men, Chowdhury, was eventually convicted and jailed in 2007 for raping her, despite the number of alleged perpetrators and the forensic and witness trail that later emerged.[news.sky]

Why this was not just “a one‑off”​

• Neighbours on Attock Close had repeatedly reported concerns that taxis would arrive en masse every Wednesday night and children were being brought to the address in a “conveyor belt” fashion, which strongly suggested organised child sexual exploitation at that property.[oldham-chronicle.co]
• Forensic analysis later identified DNA from multiple men and three other women at the Attock Close address; two of those women said they had sex with Chowdhury at 16, and review authors said this supported Sam’s claim that the house functioned as a place where young women were sexually exploited by Asian males.[oldham-chronicle.co]
• Sam has consistently stated that the house was effectively “a brothel for kids” and that authorities resisted accepting that it was part of a wider grooming pattern, preferring to class her ordeal as an isolated incident.[oldham-chronicle.co]

These patterns match what later national audits described as “group‑based child sexual exploitation” where children, mostly white girls in these towns, were repeatedly used by small networks of men, often of Pakistani or broader Asian heritage in certain areas.[en.wikipedia]

Institutional failings and evidence handling​

The independent review commissioned by Oldham Council and Greater Manchester Mayor (the Newsam–Ridgway review, published 2022) and subsequent reporting identified multiple severe failings in how Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Oldham Council handled Sam’s case:

• Only two of the men who assaulted Sam were ever arrested; the rest were never brought before a court, despite the victim’s clear account and later forensic evidence indicating multiple perpetrators.[oldham-chronicle.co]
• The review found that vital evidence was lost or destroyed, including CCTV, a key video interview with Sam, exhibits from the Attock Close house, and parts of the prosecution file.[oldham-chronicle.co]
• GMP’s own internal probe had already identified missed forensic opportunities and “serious weaknesses” in the original investigation, but for years the force denied wrongdoing and refused to acknowledge this to Sam and her family.[oldham-chronicle.co]
• The review concluded there were “very serious failings” and recommended that GMP and Oldham Council publicly acknowledge these and apologise, which the Chief Constable later did, recognising that Sam suffered horrific abuse compounded by institutional failures.[bbc.co]

The review authors explicitly said the behaviour of the council and GMP in their public communications “created the impression that both agencies were more concerned about covering up their failures than acknowledging the harm that had been done to a vulnerable young person.”[news.sky]

From “failings” to cover‑up​

Whether something counts as a criminal cover‑up rather than “just” catastrophic failure depends on intent: deliberately concealing evidence, obstructing justice, or lying in official capacities. The material in the public domain shows:

• There was a long‑term pattern of authorities in multiple towns (Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford, Oldham and others) minimising or dismissing the testimonies of exploited children, delaying action for years, and showing a “nervousness about race… bordering on a reluctance to investigate” offending by groups of Asian or Pakistani‑heritage men.[telegraph.co]
• National reviews have described “deep rooted institutional failures… blindness, ignorance, prejudice, defensiveness and even good but misdirected intentions” across police and local authorities, which allowed perpetrators to remain at large and victims to be disbelieved or blamed.[mmu.ac]
• In Sam’s specific case, the destruction or loss of critical evidence, denial of established investigative failures for years, and communications that appeared to prioritise institutional reputation over transparency collectively go beyond routine incompetence and into conduct that looks, in effect, like a cover‑up, even if courts have not (to date) criminally convicted officials for that concealment.[gov]

Legally, UK inquiries tend to frame this as “institutional failure” or “collective failure” rather than formally finding that specific officers committed the criminal offence of perverting the course of justice, but the audit led by Baroness Casey emphasised that perpetrators have “walked free because no one joined the dots or because the law ended up protecting them instead of the victims.” That is the environment in which Sam’s case sat.[gov]

Wider context: ethnicity, racism and reluctance to act​

• The Oldham case fits into a broader national pattern where most identified victims in these scandals were white girls and a high proportion of known offenders in some towns were men of Pakistani heritage or more broadly Asian background.[en.wikipedia]
• Several reviews found that some professionals feared being labelled racist, which contributed to a reluctance to act or to name the ethnic pattern among perpetrators.[telegraph.co]
• At the same time, national audits stress that the majority of British Asian and Pakistani‑heritage people are horrified by these crimes, and that failing to address the reality of a criminal minority harms both the victims and those wider communities.[mmu.ac]

 

[Phylo]

Ethiopian asylum seeker, 23, 'sexually assaulted worker' at migrant hotel hit by protests​

An Ethiopian asylum seeker has been charged with sexually assaulting a member of staff at a hotel housing migrants.

Melaku Gebresembet, 23, is accused of molesting a worker at Highfield House Hotel in Southampton, which has been the focus of regular anti-immigration protests.

Gebresembet is understood to have been staying at the hotel on Highfield Lane at the time of the alleged assault, alongside more than 100 other asylum seekers.

Protesters, mainly from the group Southampton Patriots, have held regular rallies outside the hotel over the past few months, demonstrating against its use for housing migrants.

A restaurant next door claimed 'ongoing issues' with the hotel forced it to close down after 20 years of business earlier this month.

Gebresembet was remanded in custody to appear at Southampton Magistrates' Court this morning.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said: 'Officers investigating a sexual assault on a staff member at Highfield House Hotel have charged a man.

Ethiopian migrant, 23, 'sexually assaulted worker' at asylum hotel

An Ethiopian asylum seeker has been charged with sexually assaulting a member of staff at a hotel housing migrants.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Phylo]

Moment 'brazen thieves dressed as workers are spotted stealing underground cables'​

Moment 'brazen thieves dressed as workers are spotted stealing cables'

Members of the public had spotted the trio, who were wearing high-vis overalls, and alerted police. And it wasn't just luck that the officers were about - the manhole was just yards from a police station.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Phylo]

'They've taken us all for idiots': Residents accuse Home Office of 'lying' and using 'underhand tactics' after asylum seekers were bussed into barracks at 3.28am despite protests​

Shadow Home Secretary Mr Philp called the arrival of migrants into the camp 'another day of shame' for the Labour government.

'Illegal immigrants are costing £4billion a year to house and they pose a threat to local communities up and down the country,' he said.

'We have seen hundreds of crimes committed by illegal immigrants in asylum accommodation, including many rapes, sexual assaults and even murder.

'Now the women and children of Crowborough will be exposed to those risks too.'

Home Office accused of 'lying' to residents about migrant camp

A total of 27 illegal immigrants arrived at the camp in Crowborough on Thursday morning in mini-buses that were escorted by police.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Phylo]

Asylum seekers at military barracks will have their own on-site GP as police brace for weekend of protests after first male migrants were moved in 'under cover of darkness'​

Asylum seekers at military barracks will have own on-site GP

The Home Office said 27 'illegal migrants' were taken into Crowborough Army Camp in the East Sussex town - with the first arriving under police escort at 3.30am yesterday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Phylo]

Algerian asylum seeker is jailed over terrifying London Underground phone robbery spree after he sexually assaulted woman in the street​

An Algerian asylum seeker convicted of sexual assault has been jailed for leading a 'cowardly' phone-snatching gang that terrorised commuters in a violent robbery spree.

Adel Kerari, 27, of Lisgar Terrace in Hammersmith and Fulham, was jailed at Inner London Crown Court for two years and eight months in prison, having pleaded guilty to six counts of robbery and one of fraud by false representation.

Kerari and four associates carried out a series of six thefts targeting lone travellers in June 2023, which saw a woman punched in the face and commuters attacked.

When he was identified by police Kerari had already left the UK, where he had lived for a year after leaving his native Algeria, and was in Ireland seeking asylum.

But within five days of his arrival he had sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman in an attack that would see him jailed for more than two years.

He was arrested by officers from British Transport Police after returning to London following his release from prison.

The series of raids in 2023 included a robbery on June 1, where the gang cornered a woman on a train to Holborn and followed her through the station after she managed to escape.

She was then pushed from behind, punched in the face and robbed of her phone and headphones.

Algerian asylum seeker jailed for terrifying phone robbery spree

Adel Kerari, 27, of Lisgar Terrace in Hammersmith and Fulham, was jailed at Inner London Crown Court for two years and eight months in prison.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Phylo]

Minsters pushed to cancel local elections in dozens of mostly Labour areas despite warning the move is 'almost certainly illegal'​

Ministers pressed ahead with cancelling local elections in dozens of mostly Labour areas on Thursday - despite warnings the move is 'almost certainly illegal'.

Communities secretary Steve Reed said polls will be postponed in 29 local authorities this May to free up resources for a costly shake-up of local government.

The move will deprive 3.7million of the vote, but could boost Keir Starmer's chances of survival.

Some 21 of the councils involved are currently controlled by Labour - more than two-thirds of the total. In some cases, the elections are being delayed for a second consecutive year.

A final decision on whether to go ahead with elections for Essex County Council was delayed following a last-minute submission, but the council's Tory leader insisted it had 'never asked for a postponement'.

Polls suggest Labour is on course to take a drubbing in this May's elections, and the contests are widely seen as a litmus test of Sir Keir's survival prospects.

Although most elections will still go ahead, Thursday's decision on delays could limit Labour's losses - and deprive Reform UK of the chance to gain further political momentum against both Labour and the Conservatives.

Mr Reed insisted the process for delay was 'locally led' - and said holding elections for councils that are due to be abolished could slow down vital reforms that will save money in the long run.

Shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly said the scale of the cancellations was unprecedented - and accused Mr Reed of political 'cowardice'.

Addressing him in the Commons, Sir James said: 'What was it about Labour's collapse in the opinion polls that first attracted him to the idea of cancelling elections?'

Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice said: 'Dictators cancel elections.'

Nigel Farage has branded the decision the act of a 'banana republic' - and has already launched legal action to force the elections to go ahead.

The Electoral Commission has said the delays are not justified and warned that they risked 'damaging public confidence'.

The watchdog, which oversees elections in the UK, said it did not think 'capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections'.

Mr Reed said council elections had been postponed by previous Conservative governments during periods of local government reorganisation.

But Robert Jenrick said the scale of the postponement was far greater than in the past - and said there was no precedent for cancelling elections two years running.

Mr Jenrick, who defected to Reform last week, served as communities secretary in the last Conservative government.

He told MPs: 'When I was secretary of state, the legal advice that I received, including from the government's chief legal adviser, was that it was not legally sustainable to delay for a second year.

'Hence, we didn't, even during Covid. We kept the elections going. Did not delay for two years.

'What the Secretary of State is doing is almost certainly illegal.'

Florence Eshalomi, Labour chair of the Commons housing, communities and local government committee, warned that 'democracy is not an inefficiency that should be cut out' during the reorganisation process.

She said councils 'should not have to face choosing between frontline services or elections'.

Source: DM

 

[Phylo]

Man is stabbed as cars and businesses are trashed when Kurd and Syrian factions battle each other on British streets​

Man is stabbed as Kurd and Syrian factions fight on British streets

At least four people were arrested after hundreds descended on the city's iconic Curry Mile in Manchester for a second night of protests, led by the local Kurdish community.

www.dailymail.co.uk