Rape of innocence
THREE girls are drawn into the frightening world of sexual exploitation in this unflinching, harrowing dramatisation of true events.
Almost 50 young girls suffered appalling abuse at the hands of grooming and trafficking gangs in and around Rochdale, Greater Manchester, between 2008 and 2012. The victims were then ignored by police, who called it a “lifestyle choice”. This three part series tells the story of three such girls preyed on by paedophiles and failed by the authorities. Holly (played brilliantly by Molly Windsor) is new to the area and desperate to fit in.
She makes friends with Ruby (Liv Hill) and Amber (Ria Zmitrowicz), who hang around with much older British-Pakistani men at the local kebab shop.
The men, led by one they call “Daddy”, ply them with free kebabs, curries, booze and cigarettes.
“What’s he giving us all this for free for?” asks Holly. But before long she finds out.
The middle-aged, overweight “Daddy” tells Holly he wants to talk to her in private.
“When are you gonna let me have sex with you?” he asks. “All the things I’ve given you. It’s part of the deal. Now it’s your turn to give something to me.”
Then he rapes her. Afterwards he gives her a tenner and says “You’re my bitch now. If you cross me, I’ll kill you.”
It’s a distressing scene to watch, as is the clear mental and physical decline of teenager Holly, who doesn’t know who to turn to. It’s clear that Amber and Ruby have already been forced into sex.
Their only ally is sexual health worker Sara Rowbotham (Maxine Peake).
When the girls go to her clinic for condoms, alarm bells start ringing.