Rotherham survivor’s father lashes out at ‘disgusting and cruel lack of justice’

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John, who suffered a stroke and heart attack, was diagnosed with secondary PTSD, which was attributed to his family’s trauma

The father of one Rotherham survivor says it’s “horrific” that police weren’t arrested over the scandal – yet officers have held him twice.

John, not his real name, told The Mirror how he was “arrested” by police for breaking the peace while trying to save his daughter.

He said he admits he “started” more than a decade ago but explains he was in front of an apartment where his daughter was being abused by a pedophile gang.

John, who suffered a stroke and heart attack, was diagnosed with secondary PTSD, which was attributed to his family’s trauma.

To add to the stress, they have also received death threats and in one incident a fake headstone with his name on it was left outside his bungalow.

In response to the IOPC report, he agrees with his daughter, saying: “These reports are a complete and utter waste of time and money.

“It’s the greatest shame I’ve ever experienced. It’s offensive to every single girl and family member.

“They just turned a blind eye like everyone else. I find it very, very disgusting and absolutely cruel that we didn’t see any justice for this at all.”

His daughter Elizabeth was just 14 when she was first nursed by a woman she met at a bus stop.

She was then passed on to men in Rotherham and taken to Bristol where she was raped and abused.

Her weight dropped to five kilos after being locked in an apartment and controlled with medication for ten weeks.

Her parents say they spent years begging for help to save their daughter from the foster gang, to no avail.

Her father, now 59, was a salesman when his daughter kept disappearing from home and recalled making more than 200 calls to authorities asking for help.

“I was on the phone (with a senior police officer). I asked why nothing was done despite our calls,” he said.

“We had made so many reports that we were running up a phone bill of just under £600 for the month. Remember, that was in the early 2000s.

“He turned around and said, ‘You know why! If it comes out what Pakistanis are doing, there will be riots. I said it doesn’t matter, these victims are children being attacked by grown men.

“He had the right attitude and said, ‘I’ll only tell you once. It’s been going on like this for at least 30 years and we know it as “p**i shagging”.

“He spoke of children being drugged, beaten and raped. I was angry to be honest.”

The father said he felt duped by police officers who claimed he was suffering alone.

“They said it only happened to us in Rotherham when at least 1400 families were going through the same thing.

“Other families have said exactly the same thing to them. “That must be bad parenting” or “That’s what teenagers do!”

“If only the police had listened to us.”

John added: “I blame the police as much as the perpetrators for allowing it to happen.

“The families were all sacrificed to keep this secret from all these years, it still pisses me off. You could have stopped it then.

“Several times police officers came to our house and called us bad parents.”

“But we weren’t bad parents, we were working parents. We both worked long hours in stores. Neither of us were on welfare or an alcoholic. “

His daughter Elizabeth, who wrote a book about her ordeal called Snapped, is now a mother of one and said: “My dad called the police because he was at his wits end.

“But they completely destroyed it by blaming my parents instead of the perpetrators,” added the 34-year-old.

“He blames himself every day and says he can’t protect me. He’s been through a lot.

“The report is an absolute joke and disrespectful to all survivors and their families.”