Viewers urged to watch 'excellent' BBC drama after 'abhorrent' real case saw gang jailed for nearly 350 years

Warning: This article contains discussions of child abuse and rape which some readers may find distressing

A grooming gang who committed vile acts of sexual abuse against at least eight young girls over the course of a decade have finally been jailed.

Now, viewers are being urged to watch an 'excellent' BBC drama that dramatises a horrifying similar case.

Between 1999 and 2012, a group of men in the North Kirklees area of West Yorkshire raped, sexually abused and trafficked at least eight young girls.

Last Friday (26 April), after multiple trials that lasted more than two years, the last of the 24 men were sentenced by Leeds Crown Court.

Between them, the men will serve jail time totalling nearly 346 years.

Following the final convictions, Detective Chief Inspector Oliver Coates praised the gang’s victims for having come forward with evidence of the crimes.

"Their bravery in coming forwards and identifying their abusers has allowed us to take action against men whose offending and behaviour can only be described as abhorrent in the extreme," he said.

"Throughout the last two years juries have heard details of absolutely shocking offending committed against victims in these cases.

"I hope they can find some closure and satisfaction in knowing they have enabled police and partners to mount a huge and highly difficult investigation which has taken sexual predators off our streets for years to come."

With trial updates hitting the headlines in recent weeks, BBC viewers have been rewatching an 'excellent' series that dramatises a similar case that saw teens sexually abused.

Following the recent convictions in relation to a West Yorkshire grooming gang, people are being urged to watch a BBC drama that dramatises a similar case. (BBC)

Three Girls, which first came out in 2017, tells the true story of the victims of the Rochdale child sex abuse ring.

Between 2008 and 2010, girls aged between 13 and 15 were trafficked, prostituted, raped and assaulted by the Greater Manchester gang.

Three Girls explores authorities' failures to properly investigate the girls' allegations because they were perceived as unreliable witnesses, as well as the fear that they would be accused of racism due to the perpetrators' ethnicities.

It also focuses on the role of sexual health worker Sara Rowbotham - a whistleblower who drew attention to the case after her repeated pleas for help to social services and the police fell on deaf ears.

Viewers have had nothing but praise for the three-part series, which is available to stream on BBC iPlayer, and recommend it to anybody interested in the recent news.

Three Girls follows three victims of the Rochdale grooming scandal, as well as the authorities that failed them. (BBC)

One user on X said: "Watch Three Girls. The police and social services in the UK failed these children, it was a group of healthcare workers who finally gathered and presented the evidence."

Another wrote: "How awful these young girls were treated by authorities who failed them repeatedly."

And a third commented: "Watched Three Girls by the BBC the other day. Very informative about what goes on."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.

Topics: TV And Film, BBC, Crime

Bec Oakes