Detectives investigating “horrendous” child sex abuse in Rotherham has 300 possible suspects identified.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said most of the potential suspects were Asian men and most of the estimated 1,400 victims in the town were white British girls and young women.
The 32 officers working on Rotherham’s child sexual exploitation case – Operation Stovewood – have found more than 3,300 lines of inquiry reports Sky News.
They have examined 47 boxes of written material, including 1,500 files from outreach group Risky Business – an organisation which tried to help many of the abused.
NCA’s senior investigating officer Steve Baldwin said the 1,400 victims identified by Professor Alexis Jay last August in her damning report on child sex abuse in Rotherham was a “very good estimate”.
It shocked the nation and led to a wave of high-profile resignations.
Mr Baldwin stressed the estimate of 300 suspects was constantly changing as officers uncovered new information.
He told a media briefing in Sheffield: “The abuse that has taken place in Rotherham is horrendous.
“We have gathered a huge amount of material in Operation Stovewood and this details some disturbing events.