In an explosive interview with GB News, former detective Maggie Oliver issued a scathing critique of the systemic failures surrounding grooming gangs in the UK. Oliver, known for her role as a whistleblower during the Rochdale scandal, accused political leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of turning a blind eye to the plight of young white victims, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“In 2008, when Keir Starmer was Director of Public Prosecutions, a circular was sent out to Crown prosecutors and police forces telling them this was a well-known problem among the Pakistani Muslim community, and they were instructed to do nothing about it,” Oliver claimed. “The law in our country says you cannot have sex with a 12-year-old child, yet this directive effectively allowed abuse to continue unchecked.”
Oliver resigned from Greater Manchester Police in protest of their mishandling of Operation Augusta, an investigation she described as deliberately shut down despite evidence of widespread abuse. “When I returned to work after my husband passed away, I discovered the operation had been closed. Not one person was prosecuted despite a database of 100 known abusers,” she revealed.
The issue, Oliver said, extends far beyond Rochdale. She asserted that such abuse is still happening today in towns and cities across the UK. “This is not just historical—it’s ongoing. We are dealing with cases every day through the Maggie Oliver Foundation,” she explained.
Oliver did not mince words when addressing why these crimes were overlooked. “The ethnicity of the offenders has played a role in the reluctance to tackle this issue. In most grooming gang cases I’ve seen, the perpetrators are predominantly Pakistani Muslim men,” she said. She also criticized authorities for failing to record data on the ethnicity of offenders, saying it was “another way to muddy the waters.”
Calls for accountability have grown louder, with public figures like Elon Musk weighing in on the issue. Oliver agreed that those responsible for covering up these crimes, including senior officials, should face consequences. “If senior officers knowingly closed investigations and failed in their duty to protect children, they should be held criminally accountable,” she argued.
She highlighted the emotional toll on victims, many of whom feel abandoned by the system. “Children’s lives are being destroyed for decades. They come to my foundation because there is no victim care, no counseling, no support. They are thrown on the scrapheap,” she said passionately.
Oliver’s testimony comes as pressure mounts for a full public inquiry into grooming gang scandals. Critics have pointed out that many local authorities, particularly Labour-led councils, failed to act on early warnings. The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended her party colleague Jess Phillips, stating that she has worked tirelessly to combat exploitation and support survivors.
However, Oliver and others believe the system remains fundamentally broken. “We are a civilized society, yet we are failing to protect the most vulnerable. This must stop,” Oliver concluded.
The interview sheds light on a deeply troubling issue that continues to haunt the nation, with many now demanding transparency and justice for victims.
