The CEO of Freedom From Abuse has warned of a “barbaric endemic” of children being groomed at vape shops in the West Midlands.
Speaking to GB News, Marilyn Hawes declared she is “sick” of having to tell people the practice “is nothing new”, and has been going on for “several years”.
In a fresh investigation, an enforcement team in Dudley told Channel 4 News it had uncovered links to criminal gangs and disturbing signs that a new grooming epidemic may be emerging.
Trading Standards enforcement officer Richard Timmins told the broadcaster that a child “as young as 11” was seen purchasing vapes from a shop, branding it “disgusting”.
His colleague, Kuldeep, said: “We get people behind the counter to empty their pockets. We’ve been in situations where they empty their pockets and they’ve got reams of condoms.
“I once came across a book and it was written in Kurdish and it was translated and they were learning English words for ‘you’re pretty’, ‘I love your hair’, ‘you’re young and beautiful’.”
Reacting to the report, Ms Hawes told GB News host Martin Daubney that this nature of grooming is “nothing new”, and it is “not a surprise”.
She said: “There’s nothing new here, this isn’t new news, it’s been going on for quite a long time.
Abuse campaigner Marilyn Hawes declared that children being groomed at vape shops is ‘nothing new’
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GB NEWS / GETTY
“So many children are hooked on vapes and some of the vape shops are not regulated, they’re still getting in under the radar illegal stuff that should be banned. But they close up and they reopen again. There’s nothing new here.”
Expressing her frustration at the growing “endemic” of grooming across the UK, Ms Hawes fumed that she is “so sick” of having to “keep telling people” that is is nothing new.
She stated: “I am so sick of having to keep telling people where there are kids, where there’s an attraction to children to go to vape shops, nail bars, food outlets, you name it, if you can’t pay them, they want sex. There’s nothing new here.
“And this is what annoys me. People think it’s a new story, it actually isn’t, and this is such a barbaric, endemic situation across the UK that nobody deals with.
Illegal vape shops have allegedly been handing out vapes to children as young as 11 | GETTY
“The vape shop is a new thing comparatively to what’s been going on for 25, 30 years, but it’s no surprise. Why are people surprised by this? It’s not a surprise and no one does anything.”
Ms Hawes also fears the effects vaping has on young lungs, adding a nationwide crackdown must be carried out urgently.
She explained: “It’s an utter disgrace. Some time ago, illegal vape shops were banned, but you still see the vans on the roadside, you’ll still see the stuff that’s coming in from China. The stuff that’s in these vapes is fundamentally dangerous.
“It’s already got nicotine in it, and it’s got little metal particles – it’s got lead, it’s got iron – it’s got tiny little particles that will literally damage your lungs and damage your bronchial passages. It causes popcorn lung, which is little tiny holes and little bits within your lungs. It’s utterly dangerous.”
Ms Hawes warned of a ‘barbaric endemic’ taking place across the UK
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GB NEWS
Delivering her verdict on the part of the investigation which discovered a “book written in Kurdish” which featured “English words for ‘you’re pretty’, ‘I love your hair’, ‘you’re young and beautiful'”, the campaigner made clear that it is the “nature of grooming”.
She concluded: “All this stuff about the book in Urdu and telling children they are beautiful, that’s the nature of grooming.
“You’re you’re gorgeous, you’re pretty, these are vulnerable children – I can remember when I was a young teenager, someone telling you you’re beautiful, you’re gorgeous, who doesn’t want to hear that?
“And they don’t see the danger because they’re young.”