The Buried Truth: How Officials Silenced a Child Abuse Scandal

In 2003, 15-year-old Victoria Agoglia died in a Manchester hospital after being injected with heroin by a known abuser. Before her death, she had repeatedly told social workers she was being sexually abused and plied with drugs by older men.

She was under the care of Manchester City Council when she died.

Her death sparked Operation Augusta, a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) investigation into the systematic sexual exploitation of vulnerable girls in care. The operation identified at least 57 victims and 97 potential suspects.

And then, something unthinkable happened.

The Investigation They Killed

Within a year, Operation Augusta was quietly shut down. No explanation. No charges filed against the 97 identified suspects. No justice for the victims.

Eight of the suspects identified in Operation Augusta went on to assault or rape other girls in the years after the investigation was abandoned.

In 2020, a review commissioned by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham finally confirmed what many had suspected: the operation had been "prematurely closed down" and "a significant number of children were failed by the police and children's services."

The report laid bare the negligence:

"The authorities knew that many were being subjected to the most profound abuse and exploitation but did not protect them from the perpetrators." — Greater Manchester Assurance Review, 2020

The Racial Dimension They Feared to Name

A subsequent Manchester Evening News investigation revealed a troubling pattern in how the case was handled.

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Manchester Evening NewsJennifer Williams

Most of the men under investigation were of "Asian heritage" – primarily Pakistani – while the victims were predominantly white girls in council care.

A detective constable who worked on Operation Augusta told the review team in clear terms:

"What had a massive input was the offending target group were predominantly Asian males and we were told to try and get other ethnicities."

Senior officers feared the operation would stoke racial tensions, particularly after the 2001 Oldham and Bradford riots.

The Evidence That Disappeared

One of the most troubling aspects of this scandal is the disappearance of key records.

The decision to shut down Operation Augusta is believed to have been taken during senior-level "Gold Group" meetings between police and council leaders. However, the official minutes of those meetings are missing.

The only documentation of the decision is a single handwritten line in a policy log by the Senior Investigating Officer, noting that Augusta would cease on July 1, 2005, citing "staffing issues."

There was no formal sign-off. No public justification. Just silence.

The Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) of Operation Augusta was Detective Superintendent Tony Cook. He was responsible for leading the investigation into the sexual exploitation of children in Manchester's care system. Cook was among the three former senior Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in 2020 for their roles in the operation's premature closure.

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The Watchdog That Looked Away

In 2020, following the review's publication, three former senior GMP officers were referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Many hoped the referral would lead to long-overdue accountability. But in August 2022, the IOPC closed the case. Its explanation was revealing:

"We were unable to determine who took the final decision to close Operation Augusta in July 2005, nor the rationale for doing so."

And further:

"Challenges faced included the passage of time; a lack of available records of meetings and decisions taken at that time; and the fact some former GMP-employed police witnesses were either unable or unwilling to engage with our investigation." — IOPC Statement, 2022

In other words, there was no paper trail, and key individuals either couldn't or wouldn't cooperate. The result? No disciplinary action. No consequences. No justice.

Greater Manchester Police: Probe into ex-officers over grooming inquiry closed

There was no indication the officers had breached standards of professional behaviour, the IOPC says.

BBC NewsBBC News

Steve Noonan, the IOPC's director of major investigations, said that the watchdog had "identified several areas of potential learning for GMP to consider".

"[We] now await further information on how practices have changed since 2005, which will inform our decision on whether to issue any statutory recommendations."

Burnham's Response

Andy Burnham, who commissioned the 2020 review, expressed his frustration with the IOPC's findings:

"I am very disappointed with this inconclusive and inadequate investigation. Victims have sadly been let down again....It was now a matter for the Home Secretary." — BBC News, August 2022

The Call for a Public Inquiry

Today, survivors and campaigners continue to demand a full, independent National Public Inquiry into child sexual exploitation - not just in Manchester, but across the UK.

Only such an inquiry would have the legal power to compel testimony, recover missing documents, and expose the decisions that allowed abusers to operate with impunity.

Until then, the question remains unanswered:

Who decided that these children weren't worth saving?

And until that question is answered, Operation Augusta will remain a national disgrace - a case study in how the state can fail its most vulnerable, then work together to cover it up.

Remember Victoria Agoglia's name. She deserved better. They all did.

Raja Miah MBE

For those new to me, I'm Raja Miah MBE. I spent six years leading a small team that exposed how Labour politicians protected Pakistani Rape Gangs and exchanged working class White girls for votes.

My work continues despite powerful forces including the media, politicians, police and public officials all conspiring to desperately stop me and bury the truth.
Both politicians and police have all repeatedly tried and failed to have me imprisoned. My crime? Refusing to look the other way to the gang rape of children.

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