Sex abuse victim’s bid for Royal pardon

A WOMAN who was raped by the leader of a notorious South Yorkshire grooming gang wants to meet with the Home Secretary to help sex abuse victims get a Royal pardon for their offences.

Sammy Woodhouse wants to meet with Amber Rudd to discuss her campaign for a ‘Sammy’s Law’, which would give a pardon for crimes committed by sexual abuse victims while under the control of domineering criminal groomers.

The mother of two was just 14 when she was targeted and abused by Arshid Hussain, the ringleader of a Rotherham sex abuse gang. During her ordeal she committed many crimes which could have seen her given a long prison sentence.

Her offences, all committed in 2001 when she was 15, included common assault, possessing an offensive weapon and actual bodily harm.

When she spoke to police to expose her abuser, police threatened her with prison.

Her solicitor managed to convince officers it was not in the public interest to charge her – but that did not stop her feeling that, despite being the victim, she was the one in the wrong.

She launched her campaign for Sammy’s Law in March and is now writing to Home Secretary Mrs Rudd. She hopes to meet her in person to discuss her campaign.

She was among 15 victims who gave evidence against Hussain and four others, including his younger brothers Basharat Hussain and Bannaras Hussain, during a trial after which the gang members were jailed for a total of 102 years.

Ringleader Arshid Hussain, of East Cowick, Goole, was jailed for 35 years for grooming, raping and abusing teenage girls in Rotherham. Basharat and Bannaras were handed sentences of 25 years and 19 years respectively.