Fact Check: Operation Lytton, an investigation into non-recent child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, has led to 37 individuals being charged since it began in 2015.

Fact Check: "Operation Lytton, an investigation into non-recent child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, has led to 37 individuals being charged since it began in 2015."

What We Know

Operation Lytton is an investigation conducted by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) focusing on historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale. The operation has been ongoing since 2015 and has resulted in significant legal actions against multiple offenders. Recently, a statement from Deputy Mayor Kate Green confirmed that seven men were convicted for their roles in sexually exploiting two teenage girls between 2001 and 2006, as part of this investigation (source-1).

The Deputy Mayor's statement highlighted that the investigation has led to over 110 arrests and more than 70 years’ worth of convictions against abusers in the Greater Manchester region (source-1). However, the specific claim regarding 37 individuals being charged as a direct result of Operation Lytton since its inception in 2015 lacks direct corroboration in the available sources.

Analysis

The claim that "37 individuals have been charged" as a result of Operation Lytton is partially substantiated by the broader context of the investigation. While the Deputy Mayor's statement confirms the convictions of seven men in a recent trial, it does not explicitly mention the total number of individuals charged under Operation Lytton itself. The statement does reference over 110 arrests and significant convictions, but it does not provide a clear breakdown of how many of those arrests led to charges specifically linked to Operation Lytton (source-1).

Furthermore, other reports on the recent convictions indicate that a total of 32 offenders have been convicted as part of the inquiry, which includes previous investigations related to child sexual exploitation in Rochdale (source-2, source-3). The discrepancy between the claimed 37 individuals and the confirmed 32 raises questions about the accuracy of the original statement.

The sources used in this analysis are credible, including official statements from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and reputable news outlets like the BBC and The Guardian. However, the lack of specific figures directly linking the number of charges to Operation Lytton makes it difficult to fully verify the claim.

Conclusion

The claim that "Operation Lytton has led to 37 individuals being charged since it began in 2015" is Partially True. While there is evidence of ongoing investigations and significant legal outcomes related to child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, the specific figure of 37 charged individuals is not directly supported by the available data. The operation has indeed resulted in numerous arrests and convictions, but the exact number of charges attributed solely to Operation Lytton remains unclear.

Sources

1. Statement from the Deputy Mayor on the convictions ... Greater Manchester Combined Authority
2. Grooming gang guilty of raping and abusing girls BBC News
3. Men who groomed girls for sex in Rochdale brought to justice GMP News
4. Seven men convicted of sexual exploitation of two teenage ... Evening Standard
5. Seven men who groomed vulnerable girls in Rochdale ... The Guardian
6. Grooming gang convicted of 'horrific crimes' against two ... ITV News
7. Seven men convicted of sexual exploitation of two teenage ... The Irish News
8. Seven men convicted of sexual exploitation of two teenage ... Yahoo News