First Minister John Swinney and Conservative leader Russell Findlay.
by Bill Heaney
Females in the West of Scotland – at least one of them a vulnerable child in local authority care – are being raped and sexually abused by grooming gangs.
Mr Findlay added: “Taylor and other victims say that there must be a grooming gangs inquiry in Scotland. They say that it is the only way to uncover the scale of the abuse, establish why it went unchecked and ensure that it cannot continue.”
He asked John Swinney agree to an inquiry that is being asked for by Taylor and other victims.
However, Mr Swinney said: “I have received the letter from Taylor. I express to the Parliament my admiration of her courage to speak out on such an important and very difficult subject.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of any cases of sexual abuse. As the Parliament knows, I have taken significant action during my term in office as a minister to ensure that the issue has been addressed.
“The Government is undertaking work already through the national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group, which is looking at previous inquiries, evidence and practices to establish what further actions and recommendations are required.
“Police Scotland is actively reviewing current and historical child abuse investigations to determine what issues would need to be addressed in any potential inquiry.
“The Government has remained open to the question of a grooming gangs inquiry, but a series of steps is being taken to explore those issues at the moment.
“It is vital that any accusation of criminal conduct is drawn to the attention of the police, as Police Scotland has a duty to address such complaints by making inquiries.”
Another grooming gang victim, Fiona Goddard, who was trafficked from England to Glasgow and was raped by groups of men, said that, as far back as 2014, police in West Yorkshire were “well aware of links to Scotland, but clearly no one bothered to investigate further.”
Mr Findlay said: “Victims do not trust that what happened to them will be fully investigated by organisations that they believe turned a blind eye or even engaged in a cover-up.
“Has John Swinney spoken to Police Scotland about those new allegations, and does he believe that the actions of the authorities should be independently examined?”
The First Minister replied that Police Scotland has said that a complaint about the police was received in September 2025.
He added: “The complainer was spoken to and we confirmed information had been passed to us, but since no report was made to police in reference to any crime, this complaint did not fit the criteria as a complaint about the police.
“The complainer was advised she should make a report to police if she had been a victim of a crime. The complainer confirmed she was happy to have the complaint closed with this advice.”
Mr Swinney addd: “I put that on the record simply to say that it is vital that anybody who believes that they have been the victim of a sexual crime comes forward to the police and makes a complaint.
“My expectation as First Minister is that such a complaint would be taken deadly seriously by the police and would be investigated.
“On the question of trust in how such matters are handled, we have seen examples of extensive prosecutions for sexual misconduct and childhood sexual abuse in Scotland.
“A range of prosecutions have been successfully taken forward by the police and the Crown, which are determined to address the very serious issues that Mr Findlay puts to me.
“I hope that that gives victims of such crimes confidence that, if they come forward, their concerns will be properly and fully investigated by Police Scotland, which would be my expectation as First Minister.”
However, Russell Findlay, refused to let the matter lie there. He said: “Any attempt to shift the blame on to victims for how and when such crimes are reported is highly questionable.
“Taylor was a child. The authorities knew about the crimes at the time, on the basis of social work reports.
“Of course, grooming gangs are not confined to any one community. Earlier this year, a group of white men and women were jailed for the horrific abuse of children in Glasgow.
“Last month, a Romanian gang was convicted of abusing 10 young women in Dundee. This is not a historical problem; it is happening today. The number of reports of online child sexual abuse made to Police Scotland has more than doubled in the past year alone.
“How can John Swinney hope to stop child abuse now, when he will not support a full and fearless investigation into the industrial-scale abuse of recent years?”
“My parliamentary record demonstrates that I am prepared to ensure that significant efforts are made to address abusive conduct in our society. The Scottish child abuse inquiry was sponsored under my leadership as education secretary and as Deputy First Minister for many years, and it does vital work in making sure that the voices of victims are heard loud and clear in our society.
“On the question of online child abuse, I was clear in my answer to [Labour MSP] Martin Whitfield last week in the Parliament that I want to make sure that every step that the Government and other authorities in Scotland can take to tackle online child abuse is taken.
“The efforts that have been made at the Gartcosh crime campus, under the auspices of Police Scotland, have been lauded around the world as an example of integrated proceedings involving multiple agencies.
“We aim to ensure that organised crime networks in Scotland are shattered as a consequence of our efforts. I assure Mr Findlay of our determination to carry out all that activity.
“We are also determined to work collaboratively to ensure that a legislative approach is in place that uses the powers of the United Kingdom—powers that the Scottish Parliament does not have—to tackle the culture of online abuse, which is attacking the very fabric of childhood in Scotland today as a consequence of the lawlessness that is perpetrated by online agencies.”
“In a previous answer, the First Minister said that the national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group is looking at these issues. However, victims such as Taylor are concerned because the same authorities that failed them sit on that Government group, and they fear that it is little more than another Scottish National Party talking shop.
“In July, the group discussed Baroness Casey’s report on grooming gangs elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The minutes of that meeting state:
“there is no current evidence that the issues identified in Casey are presenting in the same way in Scotland”.
“In the light of the available evidence, that claim is patently untrue. Does John Swinney agree that grooming gangs are a problem in Scotland, not just elsewhere?”
“The national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group is looking at these questions, and Police Scotland is actively reviewing current and historical abuse investigations. That is happening today, in Scotland, under the direction of the Scottish Government, and we will consider the group’s findings.
“The Government remains open to the question of having an inquiry into grooming gangs. However, I am satisfied that the police and our judicial system will address these issues, and we will reflect on whether any further scrutiny is required in the light of those investigations.”