Straw fuels Asian row after sex abuse case

Published on 08/01/2011 10:34

FORMER home secretary Jack Straw has accused some young men in Britain's Pakistani community of seeing white girls as "easy meat" for sexual abuse.

His comments came after two Asian men who subjected a number of teenage girls to rapes and sexual assaults were given indefinite jail terms.

Straw talked of a "specific problem" involving Pakistani men and called on the community to be "more open" about the issue.

Abid Mohammed Saddique, 27, was imprisoned for a minimum of 11 years at Nottingham Crown Court and Mohammed Romaan Liaqat, 28, was told that he must serve at least eight years before he can be considered for release.

The two men were heavily involved with a group of men who befriended vulnerable girls aged from 12 to 18 in the Derby area and then groomed them for sex.

Straw said: "There is a specific problem which involves Pakistani heritage men ... who target vulnerable young white girls.

"We need to get the Pakistani community to think much more clearly about why this is going on and to be more open about the problems that are leading to a number of Pakistani heritage men thinking it is OK to target white girls in this way."

He added: "They act like any other young men, they're fizzing and popping with testosterone, they want some outlet for that, but Pakistani heritage girls are off-limits and they are expected to marry a Pakistani girl from Pakistan, typically.

"So they then seek other avenues and they see these young women, white girls who are vulnerable, some of them in care ... who they think are easy meat."

Straw's comments drew criticism from senior Labour colleague Keith Vaz, who said it was wrong to "stereotype a whole community" and questioned why he had not spoken out previously.