Former Met Police detective Peter Bleksley has launched a brutal attack on Mayor Sadiq Khan after a BBC probe found vulnerable girls as young as 13 are being pimped out by grooming gangs across London. The damning report clashes with Khan’s earlier claims that there was “no indication” this was happening in the capital.
Bleksley brands Khan a liar or clueless on London grooming gangs
Speaking to GB News, Bleksley ripped into Khan’s denial of the crisis. “He was either lying when he said there were no rape gangs in London, or he was ignorant of the facts,” Bleksley said. “Either way, it proves beyond doubt Sadiq Khan is not fit for the high office of any description.”
Shocking BBC investigation reveals horrors faced by teen girls
The BBC’s weeks-long inquiry involved dozens of interviews, including five brave women who survived gang-related violence. Survivors told how they were gang-raped as “payment” for drug debts forced on them by criminal gangs controlling their every move. Others were groomed specifically for sex.
Detective Sergeant John Knox, head of the Met’s child exploitation team in Lambeth and Southwark, said: “Girls trapped in these gangs cannot say no to sex. They’re at the lowest rung and have to do as they’re told — sexually included.” Knox estimates at least 60 children in his patch are currently being exploited, some as young as 13.
Politicians slam Khan’s handling of child sexual exploitation crisis
Laila Cunningham of Reform UK London called the findings “horrific,” saying: “Girls as young as 13 being drugged, raped and passed around while Sadiq Khan kept telling us it wasn’t happening.” She blasted officials for hiding the truth and questioned why denial was chosen over protection.
Conservative London Assembly leader Susan Hall also expressed horror: “These disturbing reports of teens exploited for sex were ignored for far too long. Talking to survivors breaks my heart.”
Survivors’ gut-wrenching testimonies
One survivor, “Milly,” told the BBC she was “passed around different men every night” at just 15, sometimes meeting 10 to 15 men a month. “They give us drink, drugs, and next thing I’m in a bedroom with one of them,” she said.
The investigation also exposed how these gangs groom girls into drug dealing, weapons running, and phone theft, showing the brutal mix of criminal and sexual exploitation.
Bleksley blasts police for weak offender tracking
Bleksley condemned police leadership for failing to record offenders’ identities properly, calling it “outrageous” and “cowardly.” He said only victim testimony shapes offender profiles now, urging: “The ethnicity should always be recorded for every crime. End of story.”
Mayor’s office and Met respond amid growing outrage
A spokesman for Khan said anyone exploiting children is “utterly abhorrent” and the Mayor “wants justice for every victim.” They insisted Khan expects the Met to “follow the evidence wherever it leads” and tackle all child sexual exploitation, including grooming gangs.
Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth confirmed grooming gangs are “very high” on the force’s risk radar. “We are acutely aware of the risk and prevalence of grooming gangs in London,” he said.
Campaigners vow to fight on
Cunningham vowed: “As Mayor, I will never overlook the sexual exploitation of girls in London. I will root out abusers, dismantle gangs, and expose everyone who denied or covered this up.”
