Barnardos: "child victims will suffer a life sentence"

What we have heard at the Old Bailey is chilling. The torment the child victims suffered will be a life sentence for them.

When sexually exploited children are so desperate to escape their ordeal that they consider committing suicide and are threatened with barbaric reprisals, we need to ask whether enough is being done to support them.

These men were able to abuse children for eight years. That can’t be allowed to happen again. A fundamental shift in the collective mindset is needed at every level of the justice system.

This is a stark reminder that everyone who deals with vulnerable children must be trained to spot the signs of abuse and sexual exploitation to remember that in every case they are children.