Five men arrested over allegations of child sex abuse against four girls in Rotherham

The offences are alleged to have taken place about 20 years ago, when the girls were aged between 11 and 16.

The suspects, aged between 38 and 50, were arrested by National Crime Agency officers working as part of Operation Stovewood between Tuesday and Thursday this week.

Four of those detained live in Rotherham and one lives in Leeds.

They were questioned and then released while investigations continue.

Police have urged any victims of child sexual abuse in Rotherham to contact them and say they are determined to 'bring offenders to justice'.

Philip Marshall, senior investigating officer for Operation Stovewood, said: “Our priority in all these investigations is to support victims, and I’d urge anyone who was the victim of child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 to come speak to us in the strictest of confidence.

"We will do all we can to support you.

“Operations like those that have taken place this week demonstrate that we, together with partners in South Yorkshire, are determined to bring offenders to justice, and more arrests are to come.”

Stovewood is the single largest police investigation into non-familial child sexual abuse in the UK.

A total of 134 people have been arrested as part of the operation, with 20 child sex offenders convicted and sentenced to jail terms totaling 248 years.

Victims or witnesses who might have information to help investigations can find contact details on the Stovewood pages of the National Crime Agency’s website.

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