A woman groomed and sexually abused by a Bradford grooming gang says she cannot return to her hometown after receiving malicious messages and death threats. Fiona Goddard, now 33, was 14 when she was groomed and sexually assaulted by a predominantly British Asian gang shortly after being taken into care.
Nine men were convicted and jailed in 2019 for abusing her. But late last year, Fiona learned they would be released from prison halfway through their sentences. Since then, she says she has had to leave her Bradford home with her five children after receiving threatening messages claiming the senders have intimate photos of her, SWNS reports.
Abusers set to be released next summer
After reading about the Rotherham abuse scandal in 2014, Fiona realised she had also been a victim of a grooming gang. In the mid-2000s, the men plied her with drugs and alcohol and encouraged her to open up about her background in care and vulnerabilities. They then coerced her into sex, and when she refused, the abuse turned into violent rapes.
She shared her story with the press and police, and five years later her case went to Bradford Crown Court. Nine men were convicted of 22 offences against Fiona and jailed for a total of 132 years. But just seven and a half years into their sentence, Fiona received a letter saying her abusers Izar Hussain, Parvaze Ahmed, Kieran Harris and Naveed Akhtar are all due for release by summer next year, having served half their sentences.
'They will find me again'
Since then, she has felt threatened and received malicious messages saying they have intimate images of her. Fiona and her children have had to flee their home for safety and fear they will never return to Bradford. She told Talk To The Press: "They are being released halfway through their sentence, which is shocking to me. People have started harassing me, threatening to come and deliver me justice."
She described receiving messages from anonymous accounts asking how her food delivery was and telling her she made up the abuse. "This is only going to escalate more when they get out of prison; we can't stay in Bradford knowing they have got people doing this to us. I feel like justice has been taken away from me," she said.
In July 2026, Fiona and her children moved out of their property while panic alarms were fitted. After moving back, the abuse worsened, so four weeks ago they left again and are now living in an Airbnb. "Things didn't improve; I was too scared to leave the house and take my children to school," she said. "I have been offered a property, but it is 10 minutes away from the old one, so that would not solve the issue."
This is the seventh time her family has moved in 12 years. Fiona has been told they must vacate the Airbnb on October 1. She said: "My kids deserve a peaceful life. Their life has been disrupted; we wanted to move somewhere quiet and peaceful so my kids don't have to deal with this anymore. It is not fair on them; it is generational trauma that they are having to deal with. We can't return to Bradford; they will find me again."
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "Police are investigating a report of online harassment. A woman aged 33 has been arrested on suspicion of harassment and has been bailed pending further enquiries." A GoFundMe has been set up to help fund a new home for Fiona and her children and living supplies.
