Police officers investigating the Telford grooming gang scandal, possibly the largest in UK history, were sent an internal memo telling them “in most cases the sex is consensual”.
The initial police probe, Operation Chalice, identified at least 100 potential victims in Telford targeted between 2007 and 2009. However, fewer than ten men were jailed despite the police admitting as many as 200 groomers may be involved.
West Mercia Police sent the memo the year after Chalice was closed, to officers investigating on-going child sexual exploitation in the force area, The Mirror reports. Officers also considered some of the young victims as prostitutes.
Commenting on the revelations, UKIP London Assembly Member David Kurten, blasted: “Telford Police memo on children consenting to abuse is despicable. The UK age of consent is 16.
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