Oldham gang rape survivor: 'We want our voices heard'

Samantha Walker-Roberts asks PM to ‘do right for survivors’ but warns that ‘we don’t want Tommy Robinson involved’

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN

A woman who was raped in Oldham aged 12 has implored Sir Keir Starmer to launch a government inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town – but hit out at the far right for hijacking the cause.

Samantha Walker-Roberts, who has bravely waived her right to anonymity, was gang raped in a house in Chadderton, northwest England, in 2006. Shakil Chowdhury was jailed for six years for the brutal attack but released on licence after three. Three other attackers were never caught.

The survivor, now 31, has called for the prime minister to launch a government review into the scandal after Home Office minister Jess Phillips declined a request for a nationally led inquiry into abuse in Oldham, Greater Manchester, in favour of a locally led review.

“We want justice and we want our voices to be heard so they need to now start taking that on and listening to what we want, which is a government inquiry in Oldham,” Ms Walker-Roberts told The Independent.

The government’s refusal sparked a furore as billionaire Elon Musk launched a series of attacks on his social media site X (formerly Twitter), calling Ms Phillips a “rape genocide apologist” and accusing Sir Keir of “hiding terrible things”.

The Tories have piled pressure on the government by joining Mr Musk’s calls for a national inquiry into grooming gangs across the country, tabling an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Ahead of yesterday’s vote on the amendment, Downing Street indicated the prime minister was open to a Uturn for the first time.