Innocent men targeted over alleged Telford child sex ring

INNOCENT MEN in Telford are being threatened and abused by people who wrongly believe they are involved in an alleged child sex ring, a detective said today.

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Edwards, of Telford CID, said a small number of people in Wellington had "taken the law into their own hands".

He revealed today that the people arrested in connection with the alleged grooming and child exploitation of teenage girls had all either been banned from the county under strict bail conditions or remanded in custody.

Mr Edwards said it was a very emotive issue but warned that innocent people who had no connection with the case under investigation were being targeted.

"Certain people believe that they have identified others who may have been involved and that the police have investigated," he said.

"There is no one who is currently being investigated in this county.

Suspects

"These people believe they know who the suspects are but they are wrong and are targeting the wrong people.

"I am trying to stop people taking the law into their own hands because that is our job."

The detective said one man in particular had allegedly suffered abuse and threats.

He said the community had helped the police immensely and had provided great support and information as they investigated the child sex ring allegations.

He praised the effort but warned people not to take the law into their own hands.

"We appreciate everything that has been done in the community – we want their support and information but they have to allow us to do our job because otherwise they could affect our investigation," he said.

"We have got an important job to do in what is an extremely emotive case but people who are innocent should be allowed to get on with their everyday lives without fearing for their own safety."

Anybody with any information about allegations of child exploitation is asked to call police on 0300 3333000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

By Crime Correspondent Kirsty Smallman