Grooming survivor 'let down' by early release plan

A woman who was sexually abused as a child by groups of men in Rotherham says she feels "let down all over again" after being told two of her attackers could be eligible for early release.

Seven men were convicted of offences against Sarah Wilson and given jail sentences of between six and 25 years.

Sarah, who has waived her right to anonymity, said she had now been told two of the perpetrators could have their time in jail cut as a result of changes coming into force under the Sentencing Act.

A government spokesperson said it had inherited a system "on the brink of collapse" and had been forced to take action, saying "failing to act would mean prisons running out of space".

Sarah said her mental health had deteriorated since she received a letter from the Prison and Probation Service in June, informing her about the changes to the law in September.

"I'm not eating and I'm struggling to communicate with family because my head is in bits," she told the BBC.

"Survivors have not put all of our determination, our hard work and our trauma on the line for our offenders to walk free after a few years. Where is the justice in that?"

The Sentencing Act 2026 includes a wide range of measures which the government hopes will ease overcrowding in prisons.

The changes mean that, depending on the type of sentence, some offenders will serve just 33% of their sentence in prison, rather than 40% or 50% and others will serve 50%, down from 67%.

Sarah was 11 when men began grooming and abusing her in 2003, giving her food, drinks and cigarettes before sexually assaulting her.

"I was targeted when I was 11 years old, not long before my 12th birthday; I was actually targeted on my school playground," she said.

"I was abused until I was 16, I was trafficked up and down the country and it changed me in ways where I was angry with the world."

Since 2024, Sarah has given evidence in three separate trials at Sheffield Crown Court, with the most recent case ending in February 2026.

"Since February, I thought this is my break," she said. "I've had major heart surgery and had to recover from that, and then I get this letter."

She said she had since been contacted by a victim support officer, explaining two of her abusers - Obaidullah Omari and Riyasth Hussain - could be eligible for earlier release.

"I didn't think it was going to affect any of my perpetrators because they've only just gone to prison, but in fact it does," she said.

"We shouldn't have to keep fighting for our rights when a government who says they stand with survivors are letting us down all over again.

"I feel like I've been dragged into another trial of life where we've got to fight for our rights again."

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice said the prison system had been "running at 99% capacity" when Labour came to power in 2024, with fewer than 100 places left at one point.

Since then, it said it had begun creating an extra 14,000 prison places, of which 3,200 have been delivered, but said further changes were needed to manage the prison population to "ensure we can always lock up dangerous offenders".

It added that despite the introduction of earlier release programmes, those who "break the rule and behave badly will stay locked up for longer and potentially 100% of their sentence".

A spokesperson said: "The grooming gangs scandal was one of Britain's darkest moments. That's why we launched an Independent Inquiry, toughened sentencing so these vile predators face longer sentences and have driven child sex offence convictions to record levels.

"But because this government is sending more of these vile offenders to prison, and after just 500 prison places were added under the last government, failing to act would mean prisons running out of space again, leaving police unable to make arrests and courts unable to send offenders to prison altogether."

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