UK Report Confirms "Over-Representation" of Asian Men in Grooming Gangs, Cites Institutional Denial

A new national audit into group-based child sexual exploitation (CSE) in England and Wales, led by Baroness Louise Casey, has confirmed a "continued failure to gather proper robust national data" on the ethnicity of perpetrators, with local data indicating an "over-representation" of Asian and Pakistani heritage men among suspects. The report, published in June 2025, highlights how "blindness, ignorance, prejudice, defensiveness and even good but misdirected intentions" contributed to a collective failure to protect children. This audit was commissioned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to address long-standing concerns about the issue.

The Casey report specifically found that ethnicity data was "shied away from" and "not recorded in two-thirds of cases" nationally, making it impossible to draw definitive national conclusions. However, local data from three police forces – Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire – showed "clear evidence of over-representation among suspects of Asian and Pakistani heritage men" in group-based child sexual exploitation cases. This finding echoes previous inquiries, such as the 2014 Jay Report into Rotherham, which identified a "widespread perception" among authorities that they should "downplay" ethnic dimensions for fear of being seen as racist.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, in a statement to Parliament, apologized for the systemic failures, stating there had been "too much reliance on flawed data, too much denial, too little justice, too many criminals getting off, too many victims being let down." She acknowledged that "examples of organisations avoiding the topic altogether for fear of appearing racist or raising community tensions" had hindered effective action. The government has accepted all 12 recommendations from the Casey report.

In response, the government announced a full national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs, accepting the report's call for a comprehensive review. Key legislative changes are planned, including making the collection of ethnicity and nationality data mandatory for all child sexual abuse and exploitation cases. Additionally, grooming will become an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sexual offenses, and mandatory reporting of abuse will be introduced. Police forces have already identified over 800 closed cases for review, a figure expected to exceed 1,000, aiming to bring long-awaited justice to victims. The Home Secretary also committed to closing loopholes in taxi licensing laws, which have historically been exploited by perpetrators.