Barrow MP calls for calm after protests over rape claims case

An MP has appealed for calm after protests in a Cumbrian town in support of a teenager accused of lying about being raped by a grooming gang.

A harrowing Facebook post in the name of a 19-year-old from Barrow-in-Furness went viral last week, alleging she had been trafficked for sex across the north of England for years.

The post said the latest assault had taken place last Tuesday, where the woman was allegedly raped by three men and beaten as a punishment for not attending their “parties” during the coronavirus lockdown.

Two days later she was in court being remanded in custody. She was sent to jail to await trial after Barrow magistrates found she had broken bail conditions imposed after she was charged with perverting the course of justice earlier this year.

She is accused of making false allegations about five men and falsifying evidence about rape and sexual assault between October 2017 and October 2019.

On Saturday protesters gathered in Barrow’s Hollywood retail park, beeping their horns and handing out leaflets in support of her case.

The woman is being supported by Maggie Oliver, a former detective at Greater Manchester police who blew the whistle about grooming gangs in Rochdale.

By Sunday afternoon almost £10,000 had been raised online to help her family fund new lawyers to fight her case.

More than 10,000 people had signed a petition demanding the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the National Crime Agency take over the investigation.

But Cumbria police Det Ch Supt Dean Holden insisted in a video message last week that police had conducted a year-long investigation alongside the National Crime Agency and found “no evidence” of sex grooming gangs in Barrow.

The officer’s remarks fell on deaf ears as graphic photographs purporting to show the woman’s injuries were being widely shared online as supporters demanded action.

The owners of several Indian takeaways in Barrow received death threats after being linked with the woman’s claims. They maintain their innocence, with one saying they felt “sick to the stomach” about the allegations.

Much anger was being directed towards the local newspaper, the Mail, with allegations journalists were colluding in a cover-up. This was robustly denied by the newspaper group editor, Vanessa Sims, who on Saturday published a defence of their reporting.

“Serious allegations of sexual and physical abuse have been made against local businessmen and the community is angry and demanding action. While we understand this is to be completely expected – we must remember the only place a crime can be tried in a civilised society is in the law courts. There is no conspiracy between the press and the police to cover up crimes – in fact that could not be further from the truth,” she wrote.

Simon Fell, Barrow’s MP, asked people to be kind and to contact police if they had information about the case rather than airing it on social media.

He said: “Be kind. We are in a tinder box, in many cases locked in at home. There is at least one victim in this case. But there are also families and friends who are affected too. What you write online, what you share, and what you say will have consequences. Words matter a great deal.”

He added: “Remember that there is an ongoing police investigation into these matters. That very fact means that not every piece of information is in the public domain. It is your right to ask questions, but please do not do anything which may jeopardise that investigation.

“I am closely monitoring this case and will do everything in my power to ensure that victims are protected, and that justice is done … Right now, when tensions are high, it is easy to scapegoat. But to do that would be wrong. Doing that risks tarring innocent people and opening a box which is very difficult to close. So, please – no matter how hard it may be – I urge you to exercise calm.”