by Bo Brennan
The MCB spokesman didn’t once divert his eyes from the host. “Britain has a wide narrative of sexual abuse against women and children. Look at the Savile scandal, the BBC,” he said, gesturing to their studio surroundings. “Revered celebrities responsible for heinous sexual crimes against thousands of children, and not a Pakistani or Muslim abuser among them. The sad fact is a quarter of the UK’s young people are subjected to abuse during childhood, so for the media to focus on the race element is misleading and fuels racist attitudes. It also conveniently ignores the fact that sexual abuse of children and young people is an endemic problem within British society and not simply isolated to one community.”
“On-street grooming is,” Colin Cooper said. “Ninety percent of the men convicted for the crime are Pakistani Muslims. I’d say that’s pretty isolated since you only make up seven percent of the British population.”
“I don’t know where you’re getting your crime figures from,” the Liberty man with the unpronounceable name said. “But ‘on-street grooming’ isn’t even a criminal offence.”
Miranda Ayres leaned forward in her seat. “Is that true, Detective Chief Inspector?”
“Technically, yes.” Colt straightened his tie. “I don’t know who coined the phrase ‘on-street grooming’, but while it’s very descriptive, it has no legal basis. Although it should. The term perfectly captures what’s happening on our streets.”
The host’s eyes widened. “Are you saying men currently engaging in this type of behaviour are not actually committing any crimes?”
“Far from it. They’re committing plenty of crimes, but ‘on-street grooming’ isn’t one of them, simply because legally it doesn’t exist. Consequently, we charge the perpetrators under a wide variety of offences: sex trafficking, false imprisonment, rape. It’s not ideal, but it’s all we have.”
“You literally have to pull these cases apart to find charges that are relevant?”
“That’s right.”
Miranda Ayres looked genuinely stunned. “In light of escalating reports the legal position seems totally untenable. It can’t be ideal for law enforcers having to drill down like that when they’re dealing with so many culprits.”
“It’s not, and it needs to change,” Colt said. “A lot needs to change. We live in a fast moving world with a slow moving system. Our lawmakers need to catch up. We urgently need legislation that clearly defines this crime, coupled with a more cohesive system of data collection and collation that all agencies adhere to.”
She shifted her gaze to Colin Cooper. “That certainly appears to debunk the National Front’s much lauded crime statistics, Councillor. Care to elaborate as to how your party came up with ethnicity figures for a crime that doesn’t exist?”
The councillor smirked. “You’re making it sound like we just pulled them out of our backsides.”
Amjit Singh from the MCB huffed. “You mean you didn’t?”
The host spread her hands. “I’m giving you a right of reply, Councillor.”
“Our legal system might not be perfect, but it beats Sharia.” Colin Cooper’s eyes bored into Amjit’s. “My party has attended every gang related sexual-exploitation court case in this country. We’ve sat in the public gallery taking notes. Spoken with someone from every victim’s family. Dissected every newspaper article printed, and thoroughly digested every study report published. We compiled the figures ourselves, because the police and authorities don’t. They’re too afraid of being labelled racist.”
“Pretty compelling stuff,” Miranda Ayres said, turning back to Colt. “I can certainly attest to the National Front’s unfaltering presence at all of the trials I’ve covered. And Freedom of Information requests to police forces across the country have returned patchy results on ethnicity queries. Are you afraid of being labelled a racist?”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” Colt said. “But I believe there has been reluctance on the part of the authorities to engage openly with the fact that the majority of men involved in child-grooming criminal gangs are Pakistani Muslims. Unfortunately, that reluctance has allowed racist organisations such as the National Front to hijack the issue.”
“Hijack?” Councillor Cooper set his jaw. “Child abuse is part of their culture,” he said, gesturing wildly between the Liberty director and the MCB spokesman. “Puberty is a green light for marriage where they’re from. Their revered prophet took a six-year-old wife!”
Amjit Singh threw his hands in the air, shaking his head. “Scholars have debated this for centuries, and we’re not debating it now. What is it that offends you the most, Councillor, my race or my religion?”
“It’s your pig-headed protestations,” Colin Cooper spat.
“Councillor,” Miranda Ayres warned.
“All right, there’s Muslims in the room so pigs are off the menu. But you can’t keep ignoring the elephant that is Islam. The reason there are mainly Muslim perpetrators and no Muslim victims is because they don’t do it to their own. The Koran expressly forbids it: ‘Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves their outer garments. That is more suitable that they be known and not be abused.’ That means if girls aren’t covered head to toe in a sackcloth or burka they’re fair game to pimp, easy meat. Am I right?”
“No, you’re not,” the Liberty man said. “In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong. Islam doesn’t encourage or legitimise these acts. Fornication, prostitution, and rape are all forbidden and carry severe punishments. Muslims who behave like that aren’t real Muslims at all; they’ve totally abandoned Islamic values.”
“And adopted the selfish liberal values of secular British society instead,” the MCB spokesman added.
Miranda Ayres frowned at him. “It sounds almost like you’re making a case for corruption of Muslim male morals, Amjit,” she said, drawing the same conclusion as Colt.
“I’m not doing that at all. But you can’t ignore the over sexualisation of British society. Sexual images of women are used to sell everything from newspapers to chocolate bars. That constant bombardment only serves to dehumanise and devalue females to objects for male gratification. Is it any wonder that in a country where sex is seen as the common currency through which women make their way, young girls would become child prostitutes?”
“Let me stop you right there,” Colt said, turning in his seat. “There’s no such thing as child prostitutes. There’s only prostituted children.”
Amjit Singh shrugged, kept his eyes fixed firmly on the host. “You say tomayto, I say tomato.”
Colt clasped his hands together in his lap, glaring at the MCB man’s nonchalant profile. “No, I say prostituted children because that’s exactly what they are. So does the law. So do the victims and their families. So do the men who buy them and sell them for their own sick gratification.” He sucked in a breath as his temper began to rise, turning his knuckles white. On the exhale, he said, “This is part of the problem. The language used, the insults thrown, the justifications, point scoring, and downplaying. It’s all smoke and mirrors, deflecting blame and clouding dialogue. The Muslim community needs to wake up. For whatever reason, there are criminal gangs of predominantly Muslim men cruising Britain’s streets right now, actively seeking out vulnerable young white girls to abuse and sexually exploit. By not addressing it, you’re condoning it. These people are a cancer on your community. The sooner you start openly and vocally condemning their behaviour, the sooner it will stop.”
Councillor Cooper clapped. “Wise words. A bit rich coming from a copper, but wise nonetheless.”
Colt’s eyes narrowed with contempt.
Miranda Ayres struck while the iron was hot. “You’re tasked with bringing the evil men responsible for these sickening crimes to court, Detective Chief Inspector. What can you tell us about your recent case involving ten British Pakistani Muslims?”
“Nothing. It’s sub judice.”
Amjit Singh jerked his head round, making eye contact wi
th Colt for the very first time. “The trial collapsed,” he said incredulously.
“The trial’s delayed. There’ll be a statement on Monday.” Colt hoped the additional nugget would make the MCB man wind his neck in.
If anything, it wound him up. “Oh, so that’s why you’re still terrorising my community and attacking my mosque, is it?”
Colt’s clasped hands tightened once again. Now he remembered where he knew him from. He was the imam of the bloody mosque. “I think you’ve confused me with the criminals your mosque was harbouring,” he said. “Men who abuse and sexually exploit children terrorise communities, Mr Singh. There’s no hiding place for them.”
“Every community has the right to worship in peace, Detective Chief Inspector,” the Liberty director piled in. “Our lawyers are checking if your actions yesterday were in contravention of Article 9 of the Human Rights Act.”
Incandescent with rage, Colin Cooper almost leapt off the sofa. “What about the rights of white girls not to get raped? Your lawyers should be looking at that, not looking after your own.”
The Liberty director ignored him, calmly awaiting Colt’s response.
Colt pursed his lips. “Article 9. Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion,” he said. A subtle shift in the Liberty man’s expression confirmed he’d called it right. “As a human rights organisation, your lawyers should be well versed in the HRA clause which allows public authorities to interfere with the rights of individuals in order to protect public safety, order, health, or morals, and the rights and freedoms of other people.”
“Only if it’s necessary and proportionate.” The Liberty director pointed at the giant screen where shaky mobile phone footage now played out the entire mosque showdown. “That, Detective Chief Inspector, is neither.”
It looked bad. Colt couldn’t deny it, but he wasn’t about to admit it. “Prayers were over. No officers entered the mosque. The footage clearly shows us on the street outside, executing our legal duty. The situation was swift, controlled, and contained. No one was harmed.”
“People are running and screaming!” Amjit Singh’s voice rose along with his indignation. “You have the audacity to point the finger at us for everything from child abuse to terrorism, yet there you are, terrorising a whole community!”
“There’s only one community. Great Britain! And it’s Christian!” Councillor Cooper leaned forward, jabbing his finger in Amjit’s direction. “If you don’t like it, go back to where you came from.”
Amjit slumped against the arm of the sofa, grinding his teeth and rolling his eyes. “How many times do we have to hear fascists slinging the same tired, old lines?”
Cooper glared at him. “Until it sinks in. You want Sharia Law and the right to worship your paedo prophet in peace? Go. Home.”
Amjit straightened up. Colt could feel the quivers of his rage vibrating through the sofa and prepared himself to move if the MCB man left his seat. “I’m British! I was born a tube ride away from here! Skin colour doesn’t dictate nationality, you imbecile.”
“White, British, and proud,” Cooper growled, thumping his fist to his chest.
“I wouldn’t be,” the Liberty man snidely said. “That’s the profile of most UK paedophiles.”
Miranda Ayres raised her hands. “Everyone take a breath and calm down.”
Colt caught the tremor in her voice as she fought to maintain control. Her moment of weakness surprised him. The woman had built a career dancing on a knife edge, but this particular knife had a sharper edge than most. One slip would cut her throat . . . and Miranda Ayres was stumbling.
He checked his watch. With ten more minutes till the credits rolled, he threw her a lifeline. “He’s right,” he said, glancing across at Cooper but tilting his head to the Liberty man. “Child sexual groomers are generally white males working alone. Usually starts behind a keyboard.”
Miranda Ayres balanced tentatively on the edge of her seat as she shifted all her attention to Colt. “So why is this particular crime so removed from the norm? Asian men sexually offending in groups appears to give it a ‘social dimension.’ And my research indicates that most of the men convicted have been related. Indeed, your current case includes two sets of brothers and an uncle. Surely this reinforces the National Front ideology that cultural forces are at work.”
Before Colt could answer, Councillor Cooper said, “Islam. That’s the only common denominator for this crime. Even the few non-Pakistanis convicted – the West African and Iraqi lot – have all had names like ‘Mohammed.’ Not a Matthew, Mark, Luke or John among ‘em.”
Amjit Singh tutted. “If it was Islam, all Muslim men would be involved.”
The Liberty man sighed. “That doesn’t mean your good Christians aren’t committing these crimes, Councillor. It just means they haven’t been caught yet.”
“In fairness, this is a relatively new phenomenon,” Miranda Ayres said. “There have been such a small number of investigations into these large gangs, I imagine just a handful of cases involving non-Asians could easily shift the offender profiles in a completely different direction.”
Cooper grimaced and spread his hands as wide as his legs. “Except there aren’t any to investigate.”
Amjit Singh hooked a thumb towards Colt. “Other than recently, every time I’ve seen him in the paper regarding a paedophile gang, the abusers have been white.”
Miranda Ayres drew a deep breath. “What’s the truth, Detective Chief Inspector?”
“They’re talking about different types of offenders,” Colt said. “Gangs and networks are split into two groups: Type two offenders have a long-standing sexual interest in children. The overwhelming majority of offenders are white, and their victims can be either male or female of any ethnicity. That’s the UK norm.
“Type one offenders are different. They target young people on the basis of their vulnerability, rather than as a result of a specific preferential sexual interest in children. The overwhelming majority of offenders are Asian, and their victims are vulnerable, white teenage girls, often in the care of social services.”
Miranda Ayres spread her hands. “So when we’re talking about ‘on-street grooming gangs’, we’re talking specifically about ‘type one offenders’ who are predominantly Asian males, preying on vulnerable, white teenage girls?”
Colt nodded. “Yes, but we have to look at the totality of the crime. The victim and offender profiles are specific – but not for the reasons the National Front would have us believe. Nobody mentions opportunity. Firstly, there are more white children in Britain than any other ethnicity, and they enjoy more freedom than their counterparts. That alone makes them more vulnerable to exploitation, but it also makes them more likely to end up in Local Authority care where parental guidance is sadly lacking.”
Miranda Ayres raised a brow. “Are you blaming Social Services?”
“The only people to blame for offending are the offenders themselves.”
“That’s convenient,” Cooper said. “Wouldn’t want the police and authorities taking any responsibility for a race-relations cover-up, would we now.”
“There’s no cover-up,” Colt said. “Most vulnerable young girls are white. Vulnerable young girls have a tendency to migrate to the night-time economy, which is mainly made up of takeaways and taxi services. People who work those jobs are more likely to be Asian. That’s where the opportunity lies. It’s where most victims of this crime first encounter their abusers.”
Miranda Ayres sub-consciously touched her earpiece and glanced to the shadowy wings. The whole panel instinctively followed her gaze.
All eyes returned to Colt.
Colt smiled.
Only Miranda Ayres smiled back.
Clearing her throat, she looked to Colin Cooper. “Detective Chief Inspector Colt’s current case certainly puts taxi drivers and takeaway workers in the dock,” she said. “Does the National Front’s own data support that assertion, Councillor?”
“Much like the p
olice not bothering to collect ethnicity data for the offenders, we didn’t bother to collect their employment data,” he said. “It’s irrelevant.”
“Because it doesn’t fit your agenda,” the Liberty man said.
Cooper crossed his arms and sneered. “The only agenda I’ve got is to stop Muslims raping our children.”
“You make that crystal clear, Councillor.” Miranda Ayres’ face remained stoic, but her eyes glittered as the footage behind her changed to show Cooper at a National Front rally, surrounded by young white girls wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan: ‘I’m not Halal meat’.
Colt’s skin crawled.
The Liberty director shook his head in disgust and inched further away from the National Front man.
Colin Cooper smirked.
“That’s a very provocative image, Councillor,” Miranda Ayres started.
“That’s abuse,” Amjit Singh cut in. “He’s putting those children in a dangerous situation and openly teaching them to hate.” Turning Colt’s way, he added, “You come knocking on our doors looking for child abusers, when will you be knocking on his?”
Sooner than you think, Colt thought. “If I knock on Councillor Cooper’s door,” he said. “I can assure you it won’t be for his appalling dress sense or poor taste.”
“No, it would be to cover up your incompetence,” Cooper said.
Colt shifted his gaze to meet the National Front man’s challenging glare.
Cooper leaned forward in his seat. “I’ve been speaking to the parents of one of the girls gang-raped by the animals you let walk out of court this week. They’ve been complaining to the police for almost three years. What did you do about it? Nothing.”
Miranda Ayres looked to Colt. “That’s a very serious allegation, Detective Chief Inspector. Did the parents come to you three years ago and express their concerns?”
Colt’s eyes never left Cooper’s. The bastard knew exactly what was coming and was developing his defence strategy live on air. “No, they didn’t,” he said.
“Are you calling them liars?” the host pressed.