The West Yorkshire Police investigation, named ‘Operation Tourway’, has led to the arrests of 32 individuals for more than 150 child sex offences against eight female victims, who were aged between 13 and 16 years old at the time of the alleged offences. Some of the victims were also subjected to offences when they were young adults.

The charges against the men are for offences allegedly committed between 1999 and 2012 -including rape, trafficking, false imprisonment, threats to kill, making an indecent photo of a child, possession of extreme pornographic images, and supplying drugs.

Locations in which the alleged offending took place include parts of Kirklees, Bradford and Wakefield. Operation Tourway is the most recent successful large-scale operation of its kind, following previous investigations arising in Rochdale, Rotherham and Oxford.

Our experienced abuse solicitor, Jonathan Bridge has acted for many victims of child sexual exploitation and his experience of these investigations often shows that the victims have been badly let down by the authorities, particularly the Police and Social Services. It is clear that child sexual exploitation remains a very real problem across much of the UK, with victims desperately in need of support and accountability for those who failed in their duty of care.

Farleys continue to see a regular stream of clients reporting sexual abuse and we have recently settled a claim for damages for a client within the area covered by Operation Tourway.

Having also acted for clients in Rochdale, Oxford and the North East, we find that similar patterns emerge; the victims are often vulnerable, either due to a learning disability or other mental health issues. Sadly, children within the care system are repeatedly targeted by these abusers.  The abusers are often in a position of power or authority; they gain control of their victims through the provision of drugs/alcohol and threats of violence. Control is often reinforced by threats to family members, especially siblings.

Sadly, the psychiatric damage caused to these victims can be permanent.

We encourage anyone effected by such abuse to come forward and discuss the matter on a with our specialist team of abuse solicitors. Our dedicated abuse claims solicitors have a wealth of expertise helping victims pursue claims against their abusers and are here to support you through the entirety of the claims process. For a confidential conversation with a specialist solicitor contact us now on 0330 134 6430, or please complete the online enquiry form.