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Oxford grooming gang survivors say 'hundreds' of abusers still walk free as Panorama exposes justice failure

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.

Oxford grooming victims speaking to BBC Panorama, as survivors warn that hundreds of men who abused them as children — escaping justice — are still encountered daily in the city's shops, petrol stations and restaurants.
Oxford grooming victims speaking to BBC Panorama, as survivors warn that hundreds of men who abused them as children — escaping justice — are still encountered daily in the city's shops, petrol stations and restaurants.

Survivors of the Oxford grooming gang have told BBC Panorama that men who abused them as children continue to move freely around the city, with one victim describing how she encounters perpetrators "in a shop, a petrol station, a restaurant — everywhere you can imagine." Three survivors, who have been given pseudonyms, estimate that hundreds of abusers were never brought to justice — a view backed by the former senior detective who headed the original police inquiry. Despite the abuse stretching across decades, only around 20 men have been convicted.

One victim, Sarah, says that her abusers subjected her to sexual abuse and supplied her with heroin from the age of 11, and that three of those men did not face imprisonment until as recently as 2020.

Another survivor, Chloe, was taken at age 12 to other towns where gang members charged men to rape her, and she has alleged that a police officer solicited oral sex from her.

Oxfordshire County Council called the abuse "completely unacceptable" and admitted to "significant failings" in how agencies responded at the time.

MoreDaily MailVIDEO: Women still see 'hundreds' of child sex attackers roam in OxfordThe TimesGrooming victims see their abusers on the streets of OxfordDaily Mail News'Hundreds' of child sex attackers roaming free in Oxford with women forced to see the men who abused them in public after they avoided justiceBBC News - EnglandOxford grooming gang survivors tell BBC 'hundreds' of abusers still freeOxford MailOxfordshire Council responds to 'distressing' BBC grooming gangs Panorama - Oxford MailBBCGrooming gang survivors say 'abusers still free in Oxford'
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