EXCLUSIVE: In a chilling revelation, a lawyer with two decades of experience warns that grooming gangs in Britain have evolved, posing a threat to every young girl.
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Every young girl in Britain is at risk from grooming gangs who are constantly evolving their behaviour to avoid police detection, a lawyer who has spent 20 years defending the paedophiles has warned. Marcus Johnstone specialises in sexual offence and exploitation cases but says the “traditional” model of grooming gangs – men targeting vulnerable girls in town centres – has become far more sinister as the next generation “learn and adapt” from previous offenders caught by the police.
And while previous-style cases still exist, the lawyer says the predatory behaviour has shifted dramatically online, meaning it’s not just vulnerable girls in care who are at most risk, but “any girl, from any background” with a phone in their bedroom.
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Marcus said: “The internet has become the primary facilitator for modern grooming gangs.
“Predators are no longer limited by geography; they utilise encrypted apps and dark web forums to operate with near-impunity. They are using apps like Telegram and Kik, which allow for encrypted communication that police simply struggle to intercept.”
The lawyer, who has represented grooming gang offenders across the UK, originally began his work in Manchester but soon found himself overwhelmed with cases spreading across the north into West Yorkshire.
Street scenes of Oldham (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Express)
He says he was stunned the first time a client described one of his victims as a “street rats”, “white trash” and “vermin”, but quickly realised that the men – predominantly of Pakistani heritage – had total disregard for white girls whose cultural beliefs “dehumanised” them.
He said: “I had one man and he actually believed he was doing good work by cleansing the streets of his victims. I think whether first, second or even third generation there is a baked-in feeling in certain communities that the girls they target are worthless.”
Marcus says in the two decades since the scandal first emerged, the MO (Modus Operandi) of predators has changed from approaching girls in town centres to infiltrating chat rooms where they are looking to exploit any weakness.
He said: “Girls in Britain are now more risk of grooming gangs than they’ve ever been.”
He says a “perfect storm” of factors where the danger has evolved from physical locations to the digital world, expanding the net of potential victims to almost every demographic.
Rochdale Grooming Gang (Image: MEN Media)
He said: “Historically, grooming gangs targeted girls from deprived backgrounds, care homes, or foster care—often picked up at taxi ranks, takeaways, or market stalls.
“But every young girl is now a potential target, including those from privileged, middle-upper class backgrounds who would never visit the areas where street grooming occurred.
Marcus says it is the next generation of groomers who have moved seamlessly online having seen how friends and relatives were previously caught by the police – and now attempt to get ‘evidence’ such as text messages from children telling them they are 18 – as a pre-emptive move against any future prosecution.
He said: “They can now access girls in their bedrooms via smartphones so there is not even a risk of being seen approaching them in the street. They join chat rooms and pose as sympathetic listeners or even other teenagers hunting girls who are looking for validation, following influencers, or seeking support in chat rooms for teen issues.”
Marcus Johnstone (Image: -)
The so-called “Good Samaritan Trap” is becoming an increasingly common entrap vulnerable girls, particularly those discussing problems in online support groups.
Marcus, who runs PCD Solicitors in Warrington, revealed one case he dealt with that saw a man befriend a 14-year-old girl online. He subsequently booked her an Airbnb under the guise of giving her “respite” from her care home, only to sexually exploit her. The following day he handed her to a friend who also abused her – and then beat her up. She was spotted battered and bruised stumbling around her town centre by police. However, Marcus says that because “only two men” were involved the case is not being dealt with as a grooming gang issue and is unlikely to ever reach court.
He added: “Examples like this are why the national inquiry won’t ever get to the real extent of the problem. I’m not sure they really want to uncover it all because it’s just too widespread and with the move online almost impossible to stop.”
Rotherham Grooming Gang (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Earlier this month the Express revealed how family members and associates are attempting to infiltrate the care system by applying for jobs with providers who look after grooming gang victims, and also how a legal loophole is leaving children at risk of being put into care with people linked to the gangs.
Thousands of allegations pointing to grooming gangs operating across Britain are currently being reinvestigated after being previously dismissed by police and prosecutors.
The National Crime Agency say Operation Beaconport will be “unprecedented” and investigators have already unearthed 1,273 cases of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation they believe need to be re-examined.
But this is feared to be just the “tip of the iceberg” as a full picture of the extent of grooming gang depravity in a 15-year period since 2010 is explored.
The cost of the scheme is not yet known but Operation Stovewood, which looked at grooming gangs in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, cost £89million over 11 years. This remains the single biggest investigation of its kind and to date 49 people have been convicted receiving custodial sentences totalling more than 1,500 years.
