Grooming gang abuse survivor welcomes city inquiry

A woman who was sexually abused as a child by groups of men in Bradford has welcomed the city's inclusion in a national independent inquiry into grooming gangs.

Fiona Goddard, who was 14 and living in a children's home when the abuse began during the late 2000s, said the announcement was "a weight off my shoulders" after years of campaigning for an inquiry.

She spoke to the BBC after it was announced Bradford and Keighley would be one of the first areas subject to investigation, alongside London and Oldham.

Meanwhile, solicitor David Greenwood who has represented numerous grooming victims, said he believed Bradford was at the "epicentre" of much of the abuse across northern England.

The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield, will have the power to compel individuals and institutions to explain what they "did or did not do to protect children from being sexually abused".

Reacting to the news, Goddard, who resigned from the inquiry in October 2025 over concerns that two of the shortlisted chairs had backgrounds in policing and social services, said she and others had fought for an inquiry into grooming gangs in Bradford "for a long time".

Asked what she wanted to see from the inquiry, she said: "We need accountability.

"It's one thing prosecuting the perpetrators of these crimes - that should have been a given - but the people that chose to go into safeguarding roles that made these decisions, that weren't just turning a blind eye to the child abuse, it aided and facilitated it.

"The decisions that were made directly contributed to further abuse."

She added: "We need to know the why and who and how."

Nine men were jailed in February 2019 at Bradford Crown Court after being convicted of sexual offences against Goddard.

Goddard said she believed Bradford had "connections to all the other [CSE] locations around England".

"Bradford was the main part of the trafficking routes - people came from Bradford to the other cities, people were taken from the other cities to Bradford.

"It helps to build up a bigger picture."

Greenwood, from Wakefield-based law firm Switalskis, which represents many CSE victims, said he too believed Bradford was at the "epicentre" of the scandal.

"Since starting work on child sexual exploitation back in 2013 with the Rotherham case, I've discovered that nearly all the cases in the North of England have some connection to Bradford," he said.

"I definitely welcome the decision to have a proper investigation and inquiry into what failed in Bradford and the scale of what was going on in Bradford."

Robbie Moore, Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, who had long campaigned for a "Rotherham-style" inquiry into child sexual abuse in West Yorkshire, said it marked "a significant turning point".

"This inquiry must seek the truth - however horrific it may be. And bring about justice to those who have been failed for far too long," he said.

Bradford Council leader Stephen Place said the announcement was "an important and welcome step", with the council's two largest opposition parties, Labour and the Conservatives, also welcoming the news.

Place, a former police officer, said: "We know that organised grooming gangs operated in our district and that abuse continues to take place, and that there have been previous investigations, prosecutions and serious questions raised about the response of institutions.

"This investigation must help establish the facts, ensure accountability where appropriate, confirm whether warning signs were missed and to strengthen confidence that everything possible is being done to protect children in the future."

Place, who represents Reform UK on the council, said it "stands ready to assist the inquiry and Baroness Longfield in any way we can".

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin had previously rejected calls for a new public inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the region.

The Labour politician told a meeting last year: "The answer, surely, is to ensure that historic victims of CSE get justice, but also that we put resources into those perpetrators who are harming children and women today now as we sit here.

"We should make sure that there is no room for anyone to hide."

Speaking after today's announcement, Brabin said: "We remain committed to supporting the inquiry, working transparently, and doing everything possible to protect children and prevent these crimes from ever happening again."

A spokesperson for the inquiry said the local investigations would "examine in detail what happened in a particular place, including how children were targeted and exploited, how institutions and individuals responded, how victims and survivors were treated, and what needs to change".

The findings would help "build a clear national picture" and feed into its recommendations, they added.

On the decision to focus on Bradford and Keighley, the spokesperson said: "Concerns have been raised over many years by victims and survivors, campaigners, elected representatives and others.

"These concerns have formed an important part of the case for investigation and will now be examined directly by the Inquiry."

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