Sammy Woodhouse speaks to a survivor of child sexual exploitation. Kayleigh was groomed, raped, pimped, abused and threatened from the age of 11 by a gang of Somali Muslims in Bristol. She recounts her tragic story and explains her situation as it stands today, further evidence that lessons have not been learned by institutions that are supposed to protect children and vulnerable adults.

The Bristol grooming case involved 13 men who were convicted for grooming and sexually abusing teenage girls between 2011 and 2014. The victims as young as 11, were groomed, abused, raped and sexually exploited. Several of the men, of Somali origin, were charged with rape, child prostitution, and trafficking.

The case involved two separate trials, uncovering a disturbing pattern of abuse. The men, primarily of Somali origin, targeted vulnerable girls aged 11 to 16, luring them with drugs, alcohol, and money in exchange for sex. These victims were manipulated into believing that the abuse was part of Somali “culture and tradition.” The men were charged with crimes including rape, child prostitution, and trafficking.

Multiple trials were conducted, and reporting restrictions initially delayed the full details of the crimes from being released. The convictions exposed the scope of the abuse, which took place in locations such as hotels, including the Premier Inn in Bristol.

Sentences for the offenders ranged up to 13 years in prison, with the men facing charges of rape, child prostitution, facilitating child trafficking, and supplying drugs.