A woman who endured horrific rape and abuse by at least fifty men has expressed profound insult after authorities rejected her compensation claims, despite publicly acknowledging systemic failures in her case. Fiona Goddard was just fourteen years old when she was first abused by a gang of Asian men in 2008 while residing in a children's home in Bradford.
Justice Delayed and Denied
It would take over a decade for nine members of the grooming gang to face justice, finally being jailed for more than 130 years in 2019. However, Ms Goddard has described experiencing "another level of dismissal" after submitting a legal claim against West Yorkshire Police and Bradford Council. A safeguarding review later revealed that her mother had raised concerns about child sexual exploitation as early as 2008, with evidence showing her daughter was in contact with adult males, yet "this was not acted upon by the police or children's social care."
The review further noted that Ms Goddard went missing "on an almost daily basis," with these incidents often recorded merely as "unauthorised absences" rather than triggering appropriate police responses. In correspondence to her solicitor, West Yorkshire Police stated: "The claims in negligence, misfeasance and conspiracy to injury are, with respect, entirely without merit." The force declined further comment to the media, citing ongoing legal proceedings.
Public Apologies Versus Private Denials
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Goddard highlighted the stark contradiction between public statements and private actions. "Publicly to the media, they're accepting they failed, they're accepting that they did stuff wrong but in private they're trying to gaslight me," she said. "It's not just West Yorkshire Police, Bradford Council have also denied liability but yet they've made public statements saying there were huge failings and they've apologised to me."
As one of the first survivors to publicly discuss the abuse she suffered in Bradford, Ms Goddard previously described fighting "tooth and nail" to secure convictions, having reported the case to police repeatedly for five years. She recalled being blamed by officers during that period: "Over the years from 2008 and 2013 I was found in cars with men and they [police] said I was the reason society was going downhill by putting working class men in danger."
A Broader Pattern of Institutional Failure
Ms Goddard explained her decision to speak about her compensation case stems from concerns that other victims fear criticism for seeking redress. She acknowledged that no financial sum could ever compensate for her losses, stating: "I'm quite happy to talk about it for those people that are still scared to."
Amy Clowrey from Switalski's solicitors noted the commonality of such institutional responses: "Publicly the authorities have apologised for their failures but then privately obviously they've taken a different approach. However, it is quite standard in these types of cases that the authorities don't admit when they've done something wrong."
Withdrawal from National Inquiry
Ms Goddard was among grooming gang survivors who withdrew from a national inquiry panel examining the scandal, alleging that ministers were "shying away" from addressing racial or religious motivations behind the sexual abuse. She accused the Home Office of diluting the investigation and creating a "toxic environment" for fellow survivors. Baroness Anne Longfield, former children's commissioner, was appointed as chair in December.
A Home Office spokesman countered: "Any suggestion that this inquiry is being watered down is completely wrong - we are committed to delivering a robust, thorough inquiry that will get to the truth and provide the answers that survivors have so long campaigned for."
The Extent of the Abuse
The abuse began when Ms Goddard, then fourteen, asked a man for a lighter after running away from her care home with another girl. What followed were months of grooming where perpetrators targeted her vulnerabilities, "trying to make me feel like I had somewhere to belong." She was subsequently trafficked to multiple locations including Blackburn, Rotherham, Rochdale, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Oldham.
By age fifteen, she became pregnant by one of her rapists, giving birth days after her sixteenth birthday. Her newborn daughter was swiftly taken from her and placed for adoption after she was told she could not keep the child. The abuse continued for another two years, with police consistently blaming her rather than pursuing her abusers.
The Convictions
The nine gang members finally convicted in 2019 received substantial sentences:
- Basharat Khaliq: 20 years for five counts of rape and assault by penetration
- Saeed Akhtar: 20 years for rape and inciting child prostitution
- Naveed Akhtar: 17 years for two counts of rape
- Parvaze Ahmed: 17 years for three charges of rape
- Izar Hussain: 16 years for rape and attempted rape
- Mohammed Usman: 17 years for two counts of rape
- Kieran Harris: 17 years for two counts of rape
- Fahim Iqbal: 7 years for aiding and abetting rape
- Zeeshan Ali: 18 months for sexual assault
Moving Forward Despite Trauma
Following the convictions, Ms Goddard emphasized she "didn't want people to think this was a reason to be ashamed anymore," adding: "I didn't do anything wrong." She described how the abuse and subsequent institutional responses left her feeling "subhuman" and shunned by society.
"I was called a child prostitute. I was accused of exchanging sex in return for gifts by 14. And described as running a brothel by 17," she recalled. "Repeatedly they said I was streetwise and knew how to look after myself that even though I was a missing person it wasn't a concern and they downgraded it."
Her case continues to highlight the profound challenges survivors face in seeking accountability and compensation from authorities who have admitted failings yet resist legal responsibility.
