SNP Government hoping Scots 'forget' about grooming gang inquiry amid months of silence

Exclusive: Brave grooming gang survivor Holly Alex urged John Swinney to 'pull the finger out' and make progress on the stalled plans for a grooming gang inquiry.

A Scots grooming gang survivor has savaged the SNP Government over its lack of progress on its independent inquiry into the issue, after six months of silence. Jenny Gilruth announced the huge U-turn in February, confirming that a probe would be launched into grooming gangs north of the border, despite the Nats claiming one wasn't needed for months.

It was brave testimony from survivors like Holly Alex and "Taylor" — not her real name — that helped to persuade the SNP to change its mind, as well as a huge public outcry. The scandal should have led to the resignation of Angela Constance, who was caught out lying about expert Professor Alexis Jay's position on a probe, but despite breaking the ministerial code, she was allowed to keep her job.

But since the announcement that an inquiry would be held, there has been a lack of progress or fresh news about it. The government hasn't even confirmed a terms of reference for it, which usually sets out what it will be looking at.

Ms. Alex, who wrote a best-selling book about her harrowing experiences when she was housed in an Edinburgh care home, campaigned for a probe and blasted the government for the slow progress being made. Her legal team has approached the SNP Executive twice about her being a core participant, i.e., giving evidence, but she has not heard anything back.

She told the Scottish Daily Express: "We're now six months on and we've not heard a peep. My fear is that it's going to go into a black hole and be forgotten about. They've announced this and now it's not being talked about and there's no awareness of this issue. And the fact there's no data means I fear there has been an underestimation about what's happened in Scotland.

"There will be frightened girls who won't want to take part and are hiding in the shadows because the government is not taking this seriously. Until this happens, they won't come forward.

"I don't think they are taking it seriously; they're still very much oblivious to the fact that maybe grooming in Scotland wasn't to the extent that England and Wales were, but it still happened here and they have denied it. It's happened here for years and I think they don't want to acknowledge it.

"Why are we still waiting for a terms of reference after it was announced in February? We need transparency. Don't sit behind an announcement and hope people forget about it or not treat it with seriousness. From my experiences, obviously my perpetrators were of a certain ethnicity. But grooming gangs or group-based child exploitation comes in all colors and creeds of people.

"There are other survivors that were not targeted by the same people I was targeted by, but now they are feeling that they're being left out because it's not fitting specific narratives, and I think this is where the Scottish Parliament, John Swinney, and everyone is worrying when we're talking about grooming gangs.

"They've got that thing in their heads that 'oh this is going to cause a political divide, a religious divide,' but no, we're talking about organised groups of gangs, regardless of who they are. I feel like they're dancing around things, and in the most non-politically correct term, they need to pull their finger out."

Ms. Alex's book, available here, tells her harrowing story of being groomed and raped by Asian men while she was in care in the Northfield and St Katharine's children's homes from 2003 to 2007, while she was aged 14 to 17. She bravely waived her anonymity to write about the failings of Edinburgh City Council and social workers.

Her book, I Thought You Cared, was released on February 6 and cracked the top 30 in the Amazon bestseller lists for Women's Biographies & Memoirs. Asked about the reaction to the memoir, she said: "Truthfully, the whole point of me starting the book was just to basically get everything down from my life in black and white.

"Then, it turned into more of a screw-you to Edinburgh City Council, and then I realized that while it may be a screw-you, it might actually be a book that can help people, and from the feedback I've received, it has helped people because it's actually opened up people's eyes."

The Scottish Tories urged the government to make urgent progress on this issue. Justice spokesman Stephen Kerr told the Scottish Daily Express: “It is disgraceful that brave victims like Holly are having to speak out about the lack of progress on investigating the activities of grooming gangs in Scotland.

“The SNP had to be dragged kicking and screaming into agreeing to this inquiry in the first place, but yet again they are kicking the issue into the long grass. This should be a top priority for new Justice Secretary Neil Gray, especially after his predecessor Angela Constance blocked an inquiry for months after lying about the views of an expert on the subject.

“This courageous intervention should be an urgent wake-up call for SNP ministers to ensure this inquiry progresses as quickly as possible to uncover the truth about the scale of grooming gangs in Scotland.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We recognise the devastating impact of these heinous acts and pay tribute to Holly for her ongoing advocacy on behalf of survivors. We are taking determined action to establish the scale of child sexual exploitation and abuse in Scotland, and Ministers announced a public inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse, chaired by Professor Alexis Jay, to deliver the accountability survivors want to see.

“We're working closely with Professor Jay to establish the inquiry at pace, including developing Terms of Reference, which will be published very soon. This runs alongside the Inspectorate-led national review and Police Scotland's case review. A Scottish Truth Project, offering survivors a supportive space to share experiences, is also well advanced.”