Holly Alex, now 36, has spoken out about the Scottish government's delay in establishing a public inquiry into grooming gangs, nearly nine months after it was promised to be delivered "at pace." Holly, who was groomed for sex as a teenager while in care, is demanding faster action and meaningful progress.
A Survivor's Story
Holly entered the care system at 14 after her stepfather was imprisoned and her relationship with her mother deteriorated. Her social care records, which BBC Scotland News has seen, reveal that staff documented concerns that she was being "groomed" for sex by "adult Asian men." The records also show that social workers and police were aware of the risks she faced.
Between the ages of 14 and 17, Holly lived in five different children's homes across Edinburgh. During this time, she was repeatedly reported missing, often returning intoxicated and with unexplained sums of money. Professionals described her as "sexually promiscuous" and "flirtatious," but Holly says the reality was far more sinister.
She estimates that between 25 and 50 men were involved in her abuse, which took place in a series of flats in Edinburgh and Livingston. "At the start, 14-year-old Holly felt this was great," she said. "But then slowly realised these men expected something from you. It was explicitly told to me: 'You basically need to give us something back, because we gave you all this money, drink, cigarettes, food. We need something back.'"
Holly described how she initially managed to escape before anything happened, but the men quickly caught on. "My opportunities to leave became far and few between. And if I tried to leave, I was met with physical violence."
She recalled being taken to a specific house where several men and young girls were present. "You never knew what you were walking in to," she said.
Call for Urgency
The Scottish government announced plans for a public inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation in February, with then Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth pledging to "leave no stone unturned." However, almost nine months later, Holly says survivors are still waiting for tangible progress.
"I want them to know that survivors have been waiting, some of us for absolute decades," she said. "If you say you'll do something at pace, do it at pace. Don't just pay lip service to it. Some people's lives depend on the truth coming out."
Holly also criticized the term "grooming gang," arguing that it has been weaponized and twisted to suit certain narratives. "I am in contact with a lot of survivors who are victims of child sexual exploitation, not by Asian perpetrators, by other perpetrators," she said. Some survivors have told her they fear being excluded from the inquiry because their abusers do not fit a particular ethnic profile. "A grooming gang is a group of two or more perpetrators, regardless of ethnicity or race. I don't tie grooming gangs specifically to an ethnicity."
Government Response
Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said sexual abuse and exploitation are "abhorrent crimes" that have a devastating effect on victims and their families. "Safeguarding children is our utmost priority, and we are taking determined action to establish the extent and scale of this abuse so we can prevent it," she said. "The statutory inquiry is a core part of this work, to be chaired by Prof Alexis Jay with the fullest investigatory powers."
A national review of group-based child sexual abuse in Scotland, published in September and also overseen by Prof Jay, found that there is no reliable national picture of the scale of grooming gang offending due to inconsistent data collection and the absence of an agreed definition.
Before evidence can be heard at the inquiry, its terms of reference must be formally agreed. Ministers are expected to provide an update at Holyrood on Thursday.
Holly has been invited to participate in the Scottish government's Truth Project pilot, which runs alongside the public inquiry and aims to listen to survivors.
Police Scotland said it is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation, regardless of the passage of time. A spokesperson added: "We know how difficult it can be to come forward and the needs of survivors are always at the heart of our victim-centred approach. We will continue to work with partners to identify and to protect potential victims, and to tackle child sexual exploitation and grooming."
Holly also experienced sexual abuse at a secure unit in Edinburgh. Her evidence was crucial in convicting her abuser, carer Gordon Collins, who was sentenced to 10 years in 2016 for indecent behavior towards Holly and three other young people in his care. The court heard he raped one girl over the course of a year.
Amanda Hatton from City of Edinburgh Council said: "We want to repeat our apology to Holly - and praise her and others who have bravely come forward to tell their stories. Testimonies like Holly's have already helped us to make significant changes to the service, including the closure of all secure residential accommodation across the city, and we're confident that children and young people in our care are now safer and better supported."
Hatton added that the council is listening to young people but acknowledged there is more work to be done to learn from the past. "If and where any criminality is suspected, we will always report this to Police Scotland urgently," she said.
