'Justice is an unrealistic dream': Should Hull be included in grooming gangs inquiry?

No victim who has reported a crime wants to hear that their case is being closed with no charges - but how much worse for the victims of child sexual abuse who have found the courage to come forward?

Five young women in Hull reported their abuse back in 2019 - two investigations later - police efforts have hit a dead end.

The letter to victims from Senior Investigator Detective Superintendent Alan Curtis, said "...this does not mean that you are not believed, and this decision does not reflect on you or the seriousness of what you have told us".

The young women have been left asking themselves: "What was the point?"

Now their only hope is that the timing is perfect - coming in the week the national inquiry into grooming gangs begins to consider which towns and cities should be the focus of local investigations.

Should one be Hull? There are other places where there have been obvious failings but also successful prosecutions.

Why should the inquiry consider a city where police have failed to secure enough evidence of a grooming gang even existing? Perhaps the inquiry needs to look at why?

It's the second time this case has been closed.

The initial investigation - Operation Marksman - was wound down in June 2021.

However, it was reopened in August 2022 after Sky News produced a series of reports revealing evidence of organised abuse in the city.

We examined diaries, texts, photos of injuries and gathered testimonies of the women.

'Investigation never likely to succeed'

One young woman we called 'Anna' provided logs from her school welfare officer.

Over the course of 18 months there were 290 logs, mostly referring to concerns about child exploitation.

One extract reads: "She knows what they do is 'harm' but she 'normalises' it."

We passed our evidence to Jim Gamble, the former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection service, who said there was "significant corroboration" and the case should go to court.

After this the force invited the external Hydrant Programme team, which assesses sexual abuse cases, to provide a full evidential review of the investigation.

Following that, Assistant Chief Constable David Marshall said: "Based on Hydrant's evidential review of Op Marksman, Humberside Police have taken the decision to establish a new investigative team and recommence the investigation."

It was never explained exactly what failings Hydrant had identified from the initial investigation.

However, a year later the alleged victim we called 'Anna,' who was 16 when the abuse started, used what's called a Subject Access Request (SAR) to gain police records on herself.

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She found the following types of comments made by officers: "The female herself is making lifestyle choices of her own.

"This victim doesn't come across as the best type of witness/victim that I have seen.

"She finds herself in a position where it could be suggested she is allowing sexual tension to rise."

Another comment reads: "The victim states that she has received injuries, and these have been seen by police officers.

"The issue that we have is that the suspect admits to causing these injuries to the victim, but states that these were with consent as the victim 'liked it'."

Anna said these attitudes from police officers meant that the investigation was never likely to succeed.

'Sold an unrealistic dream'

There was some renewed hope when the second investigation began under the name Operation Conference.

However, midway through the young women complained to Humberside Police after being told officers from their investigation had been diverted to deal with cases from the summer riots in 2024.

In October 2024, a man one alleged victim identified as her main abuser was convicted of similar crimes in a different town in a completely unconnected case.

In 2021, the alleged victim we've called 'Sarah' told Sky News this man raped her and sold her to others from the age of 13.

Sarah says she feels like with Operation Conference she was sold an "unrealistic dream...the dream of finally getting justice".

She added: "Being told the previous officers had missed parts and they were confident they could patch up the mess from the first investigation gave us hope.

"It's been 10 years since the abuse first started for me. Ten years and two failed police investigations."

'Not enough evidence to convict'

The police letter to the victims says Operation Conference identified 44 men as "potential suspects" but there was not enough evidence to meet the threshold to convict any of them.

It says one man was convicted of possession of indecent images of children in connection with a separate investigation.

Anna believes one of her abusers was also prosecuted for abusing other girls.

She says of Operation Conference: "They were speaking to witnesses seven years after the abuse so obviously they couldn't remember dates or detailed information."

It seems then that there is plenty for any inquiry to look into - and that's before we even consider what other agencies were doing at the time these then teenagers were going missing at night and skipping school.

Humberside Police response

In a statement, Humberside Police told Sky News: "Child sexual exploitation is a deplorable and condemnable crime, and we are committed to treating all reports of this nature with the upmost importance and sensitivity.

"These cases are usually extremely complex...We have a dedicated investigation team with specialist expertise and resources needed to carry out full and comprehensive enquiries, as outlined in the Casey Review."

"We acknowledge the courage and bravery of those involved in Operation Conference, as we understand that talking about sexual exploitation is incredibly difficult and distressing to disclose," the spokesperson added.

"Throughout this review and investigation, our priority has been to follow the evidence without fear or favour and to complete a full, fair and professional investigative review, exploring every possible line of enquiry.

"As is required for all investigations of this nature, a conclusion must be made to determine whether enquiries have met the evidential threshold to be formally referred to the CPS for a charging decision.

"Following a thorough and detailed review of all available evidence in relation to this investigation, no charges could be brought against the suspects in this case.

"Should any new pieces of information come to light, it will be treated extremely seriously and investigated to determine whether this builds on the enquiries that have been undertaken.

"We want to reassure victims that if you come forward, you will be listened to and supported throughout the process, and we will endeavour to do all we can to pursue justice for those affected.

"Any reports of child sexual exploitation will always be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly, and we would always encourage anyone who believes they have been or are a victim of child sexual exploitation, or any similar offence to come forward and speak to us."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Justice is an unrealistic dream': Should Hull be included in grooming gangs inquiry?