Shocking Grooming Stories: England’s Hidden Abuse Crisis
Five women from across England who were groomed and abused as children or young adults have told BBC Newsnight about the ongoing impact it has had on their lives.
All were targeted by adult men, mainly from a British Asian background, often against the backdrop of chaotic upbringings.
They shared their stories on the same day the government confirmed the publication of a review into grooming gangs has been delayed.
Kate Elysia – not her real name – was abused by a gang of men of Pakistani origin in the Shropshire town of Telford.
She was first raped when she was 18, shortly after moving out of her family home into a bedsit, and has previously estimated she was attacked by more than 70 men.
Kate said her attackers treated her like “she was nothing” and that they “wanted to turn me into what they wanted me to be, so they could justify abusing me”.
She said her abusers would harass her on her doorstep and send men to her home asking for sex.
“The abuse was almost daily,” she said, sometimes “multiple men a day”.
Source: ‘The abuse was almost daily’ – Grooming survivors share their stories
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Chester Burton "Chet" Atkins, Mister Guitar (1924)June 20, 2026
Atkins got his first guitar by making a trade with his brother, and it was arguably the best deal he ever made. Although he struggled with shyness and suffered from severe asthma—he had to sleep sitting up and often fell asleep still holding his guitar—he became an accomplished guitarist and went on to release several hit records, develop a signature line of guitars, and help create country music's "Nashville sound." What did "Mr. Guitar," as he came to be known, trade to get that first guitar?
Atkins got his first guitar by making a trade with his brother, and it was arguably the best deal he ever made. Although he struggled with shyness and suffered from severe asthma—he had to sleep sitting up and often fell asleep still holding his guitar—he became an accomplished guitarist and went on to release several hit records, develop a signature line of guitars, and help create country music's "Nashville sound." What did "Mr. Guitar," as he came to be known, trade to get that first guitar?Today’s Holiday
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West Virginia DayJune 20, 2026
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