Oldham grooming gang survivor says her 'whole life was smashed apart' by scandal as she bravely speaks out following government's decision against public inquiry
Oldham grooming gang survivor says her 'whole life was smashed apart' by scandal as she bravely speaks out following government's decision against public inquiry
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An Oldham grooming gang survivor, whose 'whole life was smashed apart' after she fell into the evil clutches of a paedophile ring aged just 12, has slammed government plans not to hold a public inquiry into the scandal. Sam Walker Roberts, now 31, has been calling for a multi-agency inquiry into the failings for many years.
![[Sam was groomed online aged just 12, by Paul Waites (pictured), a former teacher who later sexually assaulted and raped her]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/08/15/93873777-14263163-image-a-97_1736351667974.jpg)
Now, she is bravely waiving her right to anonymity to call for a national inquiry. Last year she was part of a group which successfully pressured Oldham council into agreeing to a local inquiry – but says a full national inquiry is essential. Sam was groomed online aged just 12, by Paul Waites, a former teacher who later sexually assaulted and raped her.
![[Only one of her attackers faced justice. Shakil Chowdhury (pictured), then 39, was jailed in 2007 for six years after admitting six counts of rape]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/08/15/93873779-14263163-image-a-99_1736351678647.jpg)
After going to the police, she fell into the clutches of a paedophile ring and was raped repeatedly by a gang at a house in Oldham. Sam, from Oldham, said: 'So many mistakes which were made, by the very people who were supposed to be looking after me. My family fell apart, my whole life was smashed apart, not just by the attacks, but by the way I was treated in the aftermath.
![[Ms Roberts has been calling for a multi-agency inquiry into the failings for many years and has waived her right to anonymity]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/08/15/93873775-14263163-image-a-100_1736351695794.jpg)
'The damage goes on and on, for me and for my family, and I will never give up the fight. Sam Walker Roberts is a survivor of the Oldham grooming scandal and has spoken out following the government's decision against a national enquiry. 'I can't change what's happened to me. But I can speak out to try and make sure all children are aware of grooming and how to stop it. We have to educate and protect our children, so that child sex exploitation becomes a thing of the past.'.
![[Paul Waites preyed on underage girls in a 'campaign of rape and sexual abuse' in the mid-2000s, a court heard previously]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/08/15/37108730-14263163-Paul_Waites_now_48_preyed_on_underage_girls_in_a_campaign_of_rap-a-101_1736351876429.jpg)
