Grooming gangs inquiry expanded to Birmingham and Wales

A national inquiry into child sexual abuse by grooming gangs has announced targeted investigations will take place in Birmingham and Wales.

The inquiry said the probes would "examine the sexual abuse and exploitation of children by grooming gangs and the response of organisations responsible for protecting children" in both areas.

Oldham in Greater Manchester, Bradford and Keighley in West Yorkshire and London were announced as the first locations for local investigations earlier this year.

It is unclear whether further locations will be selected. Some survivors have expressed frustration that their area has not yet been included and said they were concerned about expanding the inquiry's scope.

Fiona Goddard said there was clearly evidence from Birmingham and Wales "that need to be properly heard" and welcomed their inclusion, but told the BBC the scale of the inquiry "must not come at the expense of the depth of investigation".

She said this was especially concerning given "we are already almost a year into the inquiry with relatively little progress".

Carly, not her real name, was 12 years old when she was first groomed in Huddersfield in 2004. She said she could not understand "how an investigation covering an area as enormous and complex as Wales can be described as a deep dive".

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