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A victim of an alleged Glasgow grooming gang has pleaded with the First Minister to back a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation . The woman wrote to John Swinney after alleging police did not speak to her about the sexual abuse she faced when she was in care. She blasted: “Nothing has been done to protect vulnerable children in Scotland. It is clear that it is still happening .” A national inquiry into grooming gangs is underway in England and Wales, but no such probe has been launched in Scotland. At the weekend, a young woman told GB News she had been abused by a gang of men while living in a Glasgow care home. ‘Taylor’, which is not her real name, says up to ten men would pick her up and ply her with alcohol and hard drugs. She says she was thirteen at the time and is now in her twenties. Records refer to an incident where her name appeared in a child sexual exploitation investigation and that the police visited the care home. But she said police officers never spoke to her and claimed the care home was dismissive. In a letter to the First Minster, Taylor wrote: “I was received into local authority care aged 13 for being outwith parental control. I now know that I had undiagnosed conditions and struggled to regulate myself. “Before my 14th birthday is when I became the target of a Pakistani grooming gang operating out of flats in the Govanhill and Rutherglen areas in Glasgow. “Another girl in my unit believed that she was the girlfriend of one of them. It started off friendly, being picked up, taken places, given things and progressed quickly into CSE [child sexual exploitation]. “My friends and I were plied with alcohol and drugs and sexually abused by many men. There were at least 10 Pakistani men responsible for sexually abusing and exploiting me and my friends.” She continued: “I want to express how deeply disappointed I am with yourself and Police Scotland, that you did not take my complaint seriously. I contacted yourself and Police Scotland directly after I found upsetting information within my care records. “Due to the dismissive nature of the replies I received from yourself and Police Scotland, I have taken the steps to make sure that my voice is heard.” She said: “I am firm in my belief that a rapid audit into grooming gangs in Scotland is urgently required. “A full inquiry into grooming gangs in Scotland must follow any audit in order to protect children suffering now, and any potential victims in the future.” It is understood the alleged abuse took place in around 2013. A recent amendment to a Holyrood Bill requiring research into group-based child sexual exploitation did not pass after opposition from the Government. Labour MP Joani Reid, who has taken up Taylor’s case, told the Record: “Taylor is brave and her account of her abuse is a shocking reminder of the real human cost the victims and survivors of organised abuse face. “The First Minister should read her letter and recognise it would be a huge moral failure if he continues to resist the common sense request for a deeper inquiry into the depth of the problem in Scotland. “Every day John Swinney refuses to act is another day in which the reputation of the SNP is further damaged and more and more people will ask why he is doing nothing. “The Labour government in Westminster recognised it was wrong to resist a further inquiry – why won’t the SNP reach the same conclusion? Are they really so afraid of what will be revealed if we turn over the stone?” She added: “The SNP and the Scottish Government have rejected every reasonable step to investigate this in Scotland. They seem more concerned about denying we have a problem in Scotland than doing what’s right for survivors like Taylor. “The First Minister often cites his experience as a father as a sign of his good faith. I am sure he does want to do what’s right and that is why I hope he’ll end the weeks and months of stonewalling and announce he’ll take action. “He must know fine phrases about family life will not deliver justice to Taylor or anyone else.” Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said: “This powerful letter should shame John Swinney into doing the right thing. “He needs to stop making excuses and start listening to Taylor and others who suffered unimaginable abuse by paedophile gangs – only to be failed by the police and other authorities. “There can be no more cover-up and betrayal. Scottish grooming gang victims deserve the same transparency, answers and justice as those in the rest of the UK.” A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A complaint about the police was received in September 2025. The complainer was spoken to and we confirmed information had been passed to us but, since no report was made to police in reference to any crime, this complaint did not fit the criteria as a complaint about the police. “The complainer was advised she should make a report to police if she had been a victim of a crime. The complainer confirmed she was happy to have the complaint closed with this advice.” Detective Superintendent Nicky McGovern said: “We take a multi-agency approach when dealing with child sexual exploitation. “Information is shared between partners but this would not necessarily instigate an immediate investigation, as we would require the express consent of the potential victim before proceeding. "We would urge anyone who has been a victim of child sexual exploitation to contact us, and they can be assured we will take their report seriously and they will be supported by specialist officers.” Minister for Children and Young People Natalie Don-Innes said: “I want to thank ‘Taylor’ for her courage to speak out on such an important subject, I am deeply saddened to hear of any cases of sexual abuse as I know the devastating impacts such abuse has on victims and their families and I expect any report of child abuse or exploitation made to Police Scotland to be taken very seriously and all reports investigated. “The Scottish Government and its partners are taking action through the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group which brings together key services and expert stakeholders including Police Scotland and Professor Alexis Jay to strengthen our collective approach against this horrendous form of abuse. The Scottish Government will give every consideration to the need for an independent public inquiry into the operation of “grooming gangs” in Scotland, should it be deemed necessary. “Police Scotland is actively reviewing investigations right now and we have also been clear that we are prepared to give every consideration to a grooming gangs inquiry if that is assessed as a necessity. “Furthermore, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry currently taking place is one of the widest ranging ever undertaken in Scotland and includes an extensive review of the protection of children in care in Scotland.” To sign up to the Daily R ecord Politics newsletter, click here
