Child grooming victims get green light to sue abusers after £425k test case win
At least 10,000 groomers and rapists could be hunted down for damages after a Rotherham survivor won a £425,000 payout.
An “ice-breaker” case, brought by a grooming survivor known as Liz, led to convicted rapist Asghar Bostan, 52, being hit with the civil claim in the High Court.
And the lawyer behind the groundbreaking legal action said thousands more sex attackers better watch out.
Even groomers’ “customers” could now be tracked down and sued.
Bostan, who abused Liz, was jailed for nine years in 2018 following a trial at Sheffield crown court.
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The married dad, who has grown-up children, will face losing his five-bedroom home in Rotherham, South Yorks, after his assets were frozen.
Liz said she hopes others will get the justice she has received. Her solicitor Robin Tilbrook said the case opens doors for “others to follow”.
Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak at a meeting of the Grooming Gangs Taskforce (PA)He said these grooming gangs were earning up to a quarter of a million every year from each girl and fears there could be up to 100,000 victims.
“There are 500 perpetrators who have been convicted – many of them for raping and pimping quite a number of girls,” he explained.
“Basically every girl where there is a conviction relating to her can sue.
“That includes those 500 but paying customers can also now be targeted. Those who paid to use underage victims. Every one of those is a rapist and could be a target for damages.
“I would be very surprised if we are talking less than 10,000 overall.”
Jayne Senior, who blew the whistle on grooming gangs in Rotherham (Paul David Drabble)Liz told the Mirror how her rapist is free after serving four years of a nine-year sentence, half of which was in an open prison with home visits. She said: “These people should not be rich. We’ve highlighted the system doesn’t work, which is why I’ve had to take justice into my own hands.
“The police fail, the courts fail, the prison system fails. I have got psychological damage that will never go away. All these perps get is between two and 10 years and they come out with a normal life – how’s that fair?
“I just wanted to give something back to myself but to other survivors all over the country.”
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Mr Tilbrook praised the bravery of Liz, adding: “With these child rape gangs they were pimping the girls and making huge amounts. One girl was passed around and raped 1,000 times.
“Many of these gang members are rich and some are currently respected members of their community.
“They’ve got hold of these girls, used them to make a huge amount of money. We’ve now got a path that has been prepared and people can follow.”
Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman launch Grooming Gangs Taskforce with the NSPCC in Leeds (Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street)Liz said: “It’s been really good, something I didn’t really expect to happen. It’s a long process. We will need more solicitors to do this work.
“It is so important the perpetrators are held accountable and this sends out a strong message – abuse children, this could happen to them.
“Not only will they be jailed but they will lose everything.”
Liz, who was 14 years old when she was groomed, added: “I will forever be grateful to Robin and to the National Crime Agency because out of all the public bodies they were the only ones who did their jobs well.”
Rotherham grooming scandal whistleblower Jayne Senior MBE said of the damages : “It is brilliant news. It’s been a long hard battle. Now it is survivors fighting back and winning!”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday launched a special unit in Leeds to tackle abuse gangs.
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