Former Manchester social worker arrested in grooming gang probe

By Pat Hurst, Reporter7th February 2025News EnglandChild Abuse, Childrens Services, Courts / Justice, Manchester, News England, Non-Recent / Historic Abuse, North West, Sexual Abuse, Social Work, Top Stories

A former Manchester social worker has been arrested by police investigating grooming gangs in the city.

The 77-year-old man was held on suspicion of indecent assault after a dawn raid on a property on Friday morning in Chadderton, Greater Manchester.

He has been taken into custody to be questioned.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said at the time of the alleged offence in 1994 he worked as a social worker for Manchester City Council but has since retired and is no longer working in a position of trust.

It is the 70th arrest made by police since the launch of Operation Green Jacket to reinvestigate the grooming of young girls in south Manchester in the 1990s and early 2000s.

A police drive called Operation Augusta to tackle street grooming by gangs of Asian males preying on vulnerable teenage girls in the city identified a “compelling picture of the systematic exploitation” of children in council care.

But the investigation was abruptly closed down by senior officers in 2005, prompting Maggie Oliver, a former detective on the case, to turn whistle-blower.

A damning report later revealed senior GMP officers and council officials were aware of the sexual abuse “in plain sight” but did nothing to act.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation could not find out who made the decision or why Operation Augusta was closed down, and said some former GMP officers were unwilling to co-operate.

In November 2020 GMP said Operation Green Jacket had identified 126 suspected paedophiles and 71 suspected victims.

Detective Chief Inspector Zaheer Ali said: “Our focus rightly remains on our victims and survivors who have bravely come forward to speak to us about what they experienced, trusting us to pursue those responsible, and bring them to justice.

“Our work on this investigation continues and will not relent until we have explored all available lines of inquiry to bring suspects to court, and to bring justice for survivors.”

Councillor Garry Bridges, deputy leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We are working closely with Greater Manchester Police as part of Operation Green Jacket and to ensure that no stone is left unturned in seeking justice for victims of child sexual exploitation or other abuse and relentlessly pursuing perpetrators.”