A teenager has been charged with perverting the course of justice after claiming she had been targeted by an Asian sex gang in a Cumbria town.
The girl, 19, from Barrow-in-Furness, claimed she had been drugged and raped by the gang, sparking a major police investigation that lasted 12 months. She even went on social media and continued the claims, posting pictures of bruises, scratches, and burn marks.
The girl said she had been put into a car and beaten up because she was in debt for not going to parties for seven weeks because of coronavirus. She said she had been beaten, burned, drugged, and trafficked for sex with Pakistani men across northern England. Those claims led to her being arrested for breaching her bail conditions.
“Afterwards I was beaten because I was in debt to these men for not attending ‘parties’ for over seven weeks due to coronavirus. The organizers of the party decided to beat me to teach me a lesson. They decided that I don’t learn from being battered as I’ve received beatings before,” she wrote, adding that her alleged abusers tried to cut off her finger as punishment.
She wrote that one “waved a knife around” while threatening to kill her.
As the case capture national attention, authorities were more of focus on the case than ever. Prompting an independent review team to assess the department’s handling of the investigations, authorities revealed that the only charges that came from the investigation were against the teen.
Here’s what Cumbria Police said in a statement:
“Cumbria Constabulary can confirm that a 19-year-old woman, from Barrow-in-Furness, is subject of ongoing criminal proceedings. She was charged with seven counts of perverting the course of justice on 26th March 2020 and was released on bail. She has subsequently been arrested on 20th May for breach of her bail conditions and has been remanded in custody, court date to be notified.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Dean Holden, Cumbria’s Head of Crime and safeguarding, responded to the uproar caused by the post, saying:
“What I can say about this particular scenario is that Cumbria Constabulary have been undertaking an operational investigation for nearly 12 months now that has been looking at specific allegations of abuse. That investigation has involved a dedicated investigative team, a senior investigating officer and significant resources dedicated to it.”
“As a result of that investigation I can say that an individual has been charged with some offences. I have to be very careful what I say about that because I do not want to undermine any judicial processes, but what I can say is that the investigation was subjected to an independent peer review in March this year,” he added. “That review was conducted by subject matter experts nationally, qualified and experienced in investigating sexual abuse and physical violence. Whilst that review did give us some minor recommendations the outcome was that the investigation was conducted with utmost integrity, transparency, and professionalism.”
“More importantly our safeguarding approach had been very robust and professional, which we had taken with partner agencies. So I want to reassure people this is not something we had ignored or otherwise dismissed, it is something we have taken extremely seriously and we have sought an independent review to ensure that our investigation is transparent and professional,” Holden stated. “What I would say is, when the question is asked, ‘Is there an organized gang of Asian men in Barrow conducting abuse or other exploitation against individuals?’ Our investigation has shown that has not been corroborated or otherwise evidenced. Here in Cumbria Constabulary we are not complacent, we are humble and if individuals think they have information that suggests that is the scenario or have any information about abuse, sexual abuse or physical abuse they must contact us and put those reports in.”
“We will take them very seriously and will do our utmost to investigate them and more importantly safeguard and support victims of crime. We have a really good relationship with our partner agencies and have been really well supported,” he concluded.
In her post, she shares a series of pictures showing her with black eyes, bruising on her face and body, and apparent cigarette burns.
However, the teen alleged that the abuse had been going on for years and that despite a police investigation into her case, other teens in the area are being attacked and trafficked.
“These are evil yet clever men. They know how to manipulate, convince, and threaten girls into staying. When they can’t, they use extreme violence,” she added. “I used to believe that these people loved me. I realize now that they used me for their own gain and profit. They have beaten me on multiple occasions, sometimes for no reason at all. They have given me drugs to the point I was nearly addicted to heroin. They have stripped me naked, beaten me and dumped me in the middle of nowhere with nothing…no money, phone, ID, clothes, shoes, nothing.”
“They did this once in winter (when) I got found with bad hypothermia. They have broken my ribs and many bones in my face. They have split my ear, cut my throat, attempted to cut my boobs and nipples off. They have carved words into my body, branded me with letters. They have dislocated my elbow, they have stabbed me, they have burnt me and used me as an ashtray to stamp cigarettes out. They have beaten me black (and blue). I have had a bleed on the brain from a head injury. I have lost some vision in one of my eyes from being smacked so badly,” she wrote. “Now I have had my finger cut. They have put lit petrol rags and threatening letters through my letter box, they have followed me home, tried to drown me, strangled me and they have stalked me.”
She wrote that she covered the abuse for years by claiming that she’d been hurt in accidents and that she attempted suicide as a means of escape.
“I lost all my self-respect and didn’t actually care if I was killed because at least then all this would be over. I know now that this has gone too far and everything is not ok. I have scars across my body that won’t go away, but even worse I have memories that won’t disappear,” she stated. “I am incredibly lucky not to be dead already. I thought the only way I could escape this life was to marry one of them, get pregnant or kill myself.”
She stated that she’ll tell the police everything she knows and that she’ll feel “so proud of myself” if she brings her alleged abusers to trial. She warned other girls of grooming, warning that “if a man asks you to keep it a secret it’s usually because what he is doing is wrong.”
She stated that underage girls needed to see the images of her abuse to help frighten them into staying clear of the gangs. The attention from such men may be “fun and nice at the start,” but the photos show the reality of “how it ends.”
Watch it here: JusticeForEllie/Youtube
Sources: OpposingViews, Daily Mail