TWENTY-FOUR years ago, Joanna Smith (not her real name) aged just 13 stood in a court in Bradford giving evidence against an elderly white man who was facing 23 charges of abusing 16 teenage girls. Had it been a year later, this man’s methods of grooming his victims with presents and money, photographing and filming them would be described as grooming his victims for sexual exploitation.
 
The man’s name was Jim Merrick, and he was a Conservative councillor on Bradford District Council. He received a suspended sentence. Most of the charges against him were dismissed.  But his victims have not forgotten  their experiences of the trial. 
 
Some are dead, some have alcohol and drug problems, some are in prison, a few were further sexually exploited in the red light district of Bradford, some are sex workers, a handful fought tooth and nail to rebuild their lives. None escaped unscathed.
 
They, and their support workers, question if the ordeal was worth the suffering that the trauma of the trial inflicted.
 
It was a long time ago but for a group of teenage girls in Bradford who found themselves treated as child prostitutes blackmailing a feckless old man, the effects of the abuse and the subsequent trial have impacted the rest of their lives.
 
The ensuing guilt and confusion made them doubt their experience, and themselves, making them vulnerable to further abuse.

Is that justice?

In January 2025, the Home Secretary announced an urgent national audit probing the scale of child sexual exploitation in England and Wales.