Oldham review (CSE)

The Independent Review into Historic Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Oldham was commissioned in late 2019 following years of mounting public concern and allegations shared on social media regarding historical safeguarding failures. Led by child protection expert Malcolm Newsam and former police officer Gary Ridgway, the review examined the period from 2005 onwards, focusing on whether statutory agencies—specifically Oldham Council and GMP—had appropriately responded to the threat of CSE.

The 200-page report, published in June 2022, presented a damning indictment of historical practice. It identified "serious failings" where children were known to be at risk of significant harm, yet multi-agency protection procedures were either ignored or improperly followed. A central focus was the case of "Sophie," a girl whose abuse began in 2006 at age 12; the report found that authorities had failed her significantly, and it suggested that senior officers might have misled the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee by being "less than candid" about the extent of the failures.

Further revelations included the employment of Shabir Ahmed—later convicted as a ringleader in the Rochdale grooming scandal—as a council welfare officer in Oldham for nearly two decades. The review found that allegations against Ahmed in 2005 were not properly investigated, a failure that "potentially avoided the tragic abuse of other children" had it been handled correctly. The report also criticised the local taxi licensing system, noting cases where licenses were granted or maintained for individuals with convictions for serious sexual offences.

Crucially, however, the authors stated they found no evidence of a "widespread" or "systemic" cover-up by the council or police, nor evidence of widespread abuse in shisha bars or children's homes, contrary to some local claims. While the report acknowledged that Oldham's strategic response was often "ahead of the curve" compared to other boroughs, it concluded that these high-level strategies frequently failed to translate into effective frontline protection. The findings sparked intense local anger, with many survivors and campaigners arguing the review did not go far enough, leading to subsequent successful calls for a full national statutory inquiry.