TEARING open the letter Christina O’Connor felt waves of relief rush over her.
After six years on the run Sajid Hussain, one of the attackers responsible for 43 offences against her, had finally been jailed, or so the letter claimed.
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Christine O’Connor was a victim of a grooming gang aged 14 Credit: Joanne Crawford – Commissioned by The Jattvibe Fabulous Magazine
Christina had been bullied and was vulnerable when the gang targeted her Credit: Focus Features
But just days later her newly found sense of security was shattered when the Ministry of Justice revealed that there had been a mistake and in fact Hussain was still at large.
Christina, 34, is a survivor of the biggest UK grooming gang scandal in the UK.
She was the main prosecution witness in the Huddersfield Grooming Gang trials, in which 11 men were convicted of a staggering 43 offences against her, including 22 counts of rape.
One of her attackers, Sajid Hussain, known as ‘Fish,’ vanished before he was sentenced and has been on the run for the past six years.
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In February, Christina was delighted to receive a letter from the Ministry of Justice claiming Hussain had finally been detained and imprisoned. But days later, she was told there had been a mistake and he was still at large.
Christina, from Huddersfield, says: “I’ve never felt safe, knowing he is on the run. I am always looking over my shoulder. So when I got the letter to say he’d been detained I was over the moon. I felt such relief.
“But then the police told me they knew nothing about it. They eventually realised it was a big mistake. I feel so let down.
“Time after time, the justice system has failed me, and this just feels like another kick in the teeth.”
In 2018, the gang members were sentenced to 221 years in prison. Hussain, then 33, of Huddersfield, was convicted of two counts of rape but went on the run after the jury went out to deliberate. He was sentenced in his absence to 17 years’ imprisonment.
Christina, who has waived her right to anonymity, says: “I only knew Hussain as ‘Fish’. I knew them all by their nicknames. Looking back, it was a way of keeping their identities secret, so it was so much harder for victims to report them and for the police to find them.
“It was a huge blow when Hussain somehow managed to disappear part way through the court process.
“I couldn’t believe it when the police told me he’d gone. I’ve lived on tenterhooks ever since, worried that he might come back for me, worried he might take revenge.
“When I was told he was eventually in prison, I cried with relief. I don’t understand how they can get something like that wrong.”
And Christina believes the mistake would never have come to light, had she not investigated further.
She says: “After I got the letter, I messaged the officer in the case, to say how great it was.
“They replied to say they didn’t know what I was talking about. I was confused, but I didn’t doubt the letter. It was there in black and white, before me.
“There were a few days of inquiries, and I started to worry if the letter was genuine, was it some sort of hoax, could it even be connected to Fish himself? I was so worried.
She was wrongly told that Sajid Hussain had been jailed Credit: West Yorkshire Police
Hussain was one of the members of the Huddersfield Grooming gang Credit: Police supplied
“Five days on, the police confirmed, eventually, the letter was genuine, but it was a mistake. I was devastated. There was no explanation, I still have no idea how or why it happened. I just feel like I don’t matter at all.”
Christina was a model pupil until the age of 13 when she suffered bullying because she was a little overweight.
She met a group of men one day as she waited for the school bus, who plied her with pizza, vodka and cannabis.
Christina says: “That was the start of it. I thought I was really grown up and cool.
“I’d never been drunk before, never tried drugs, and I thought this would help me fit in at school.
“For three months, they paid for everything; they had cars and money. I thought it was brilliant.
“I came from a very normal family. My mum was a chef; dad was a builder. I was targeted because I was lacking in confidence because of the bullying.”
But as time passed, Christina realised she was expected to do something in return.
She says: “I was confused. One of the gang asked me to be his girlfriend but then they started passing me around.
“When I tried to leave the gang, after the first rape, they beat me up. They threatened to kill my mum.
“They started calling my house screaming abuse down the phone. Mum had no idea who they were.”
Terrified of getting in trouble for being involved with drugs and playing truant, Christina did as the gang said.
She says: “I missed school most days. I was made to have sex with complete strangers. I took lots of drugs, drank lots of vodka.
“We were treated appallingly. The men either used no contraception or used plastic bags.
“They slapped us about, told us we were worthless, threatened us. They said we had built up debts and there was only one way to repay them.
“We had to have sex in front of other men. I was taken to a hotel, raped by three men, and then just dumped there in the middle of the night.
“My parents were out of their minds driving round night after night looking for me. The police kept bringing me home but said there was nothing they could do.”
Christina says she felt that she couldn’t tell anyone the truth, fearing she would get in trouble.
“Ironically, I thought I was the one in the wrong,” she says.
What is grooming and where to get help?
What is grooming?
According to the Metropolitan Police, “Grooming is when a person builds a relationship with a child, young person or an adult who’s at risk so they can abuse them and manipulate them into doing things.
“The abuse is usually sexual or financial, but it can also include other illegal acts.”
Types of grooming
Grooming can take place online or in person and it can happen over a short or long period of time – from days to years.
Online and through social media
In person
Signs of grooming
Are they being secretive about how they’re spending their time?
Do they have an older boyfriend or girlfriend?
Do they have money or new things like clothes and mobile phones that they can’t or won’t explain?
Are they drinking or taking drugs?
Are they spending more or less time than usual online or on their devices?
Do they seem upset or withdrawn?
Are they using sexual language you wouldn’t expect them to know?
Are they spending more time away from home or going missing for periods of time?
A person won’t know they’re being groomed, they will trust their abuser who is giving them lots of attention and gifts. Also, their groomer may have warned them not to talk to anyone about it.
How to get help and support
Grooming is an offence. If you suspect a person is being groomed, even if you’re not sure, please tell someone.
Is someone about to be attacked or hurt? Is a crime taking place right now? If yes, call 999 and ask for the police.
If it isn’t an emergency you can report grooming to the police on 101.
Charities and agencies:
“My parents had no idea who was behind it all. I felt I had to keep going out and having sex, to protect my family.
“There were other girls, all vulnerable in some way, as I was. The gang chose them because they were susceptible.”
Aged 15 Christina fell pregnant, and the gang forced her into having a termination. She was encouraged to commit crimes; street robberies and thefts and she was arrested and sent to a young offender’s institution.
By now, she was pregnant again and gave birth in prison.
It was there that the chaplain heard her story and realised the crimes were simply another aspect of the grooming.
Christina agreed to speak to the police, but it would be another three years before they took action.
Two years after her release, her police statement was found, and Operation Tendersea, the investigation into the Huddersfield grooming gang, was launched.
The gang members, masterminded by Amere Singh Dhaliwal, were jailed over three trials in 2018 at Leeds Crown Court for 221 years.
But Hussain, who vanished before he could be sentenced, remains at large.
Christina says: “The letter has dredged it all up again. I find myself worrying every time there is a knock at the door or a sound outside.
“I understand anyone can make a mistake but surely something like this needs investigating.
“The lack of humanity is what really hurts – there is no explanation and no support at all. I’ve been left to deal with this on my own just as I always have.”
A HMPPS spokesperson said: “This was a horrific crime, and we are deeply sorry for the distress caused. It is vital victims can trust the information they are given. This was an isolated incident, and we are implementing safeguards to prevent similar issues in the future.”
West Yorkshire Police confirmed Hussain is still at large. A spokesman said: “Sajid Hussain was convicted in his absence in 2018 for two counts of rape and sentenced to 17-years. Kirklees Police continues to conduct long term enquiries with a number of partners to locate him and officers remain committed to ensuring he faces justice for his crimes.”
Christina’s book, ‘Groomed by a Gang’, tells her story in full.
Christina says that she has been offered no explanation as to why she was sent the letter Credit: Focus Features
