Further string of men arrested in connection with Rotherham child sexual exploitation allegations

A series of arrests were made in South and West Yorkshire, as well as in Lancashire and County Durham, over allegations of sexual exploitation in the town.

Nine men aged between 36 and 49 were arrested on suspicion of rape between Wednesday 7 October and Thursday 15 October as part of one branch of the National Crime Agency's (NCA) Operation Stovewood investigation.

The arrests took place in Rotherham, Sheffield, Doncaster, Blackburn, Wakefield and County Durham.

Five men aged between 29 and 62 were also arrested in Rotherham this week in connection with a separate branch of the investigation over the alleged abuse of two victims between 2007 and 2009.

And on October 10, a 51-year-old man was arrested in the Conisbrough area of Doncaster on suspicion of a series of serious sexual offences against a 14 or 15-year-old girl, alleged to have taken place in 2008.

The arrests were part of three separate investigations led by the NCA looking into abuse in the town between 1997 and 2013.

All 16 men have been released under investigation.

NCA regional head of investigations Rob Burgess said: “This latest operational activity means we have now questioned more than 190 people as part of Operation Stovewood.

“We have also worked with policing and local authority partners to take safeguarding action protecting around 40 children in just the last two weeks. This is an important part of our work and often goes unheralded.

“While our determination to bring to justice offenders is undiminished, we continue to reach out and appeal to victims or witnesses to come forward.

“Our investigation is victim focused, and we’re interested in speaking to anyone who might have information to help investigations into child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Victims will be supported.”

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