Two men arrested by National Crime Agency as part of investigation into alleged historical abuse of young girls in Rotherham

Officers from the National Crime Agency, working as part of Operation Stovewood, made the arrests in Rotherham earlier this week.

Two men, aged 35 and 40, were arrested, while another man aged 35 was interviewed under caution, for offences relating to the abuse of girls in Rotherham around 20 years ago. The girls would have been between aged between 13 and 15 at the time of the offences.

All three men were questioned and released while investigations continue.

This follows the arrest of 14 men in Rotherham and two in West Yorkshire during July and August as part of the same investigation.

Philip Marshall, senior investigating officer for Operation Stovewood, said: “This operational activity, working jointly with our local partners across Yorkshire, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to supporting victims and ensuring offenders face justice as part of Operation Stovewood. We will continue to make arrests of further suspects in the future as our investigations develop.

“We appeal to anyone who has been a victim or witness to come forward and speak to us in confidence and with our full support.

“We’re interested in speaking to anyone who might have information to help investigations into child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013."

The arrests mean more than 150 people have now been arrested as part of Operation Stovewood. Jail terms of almost 250 years have been handed down to the 20 people convicted so far.

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