How could such sickening abuse happen within public gaze?
Perhaps the most disturbing detail about the alleged child grooming ring we expose today is that most of those said to be responsible are still out there. While the young victims continue to feel trapped by the horrors of the sexual abuse they say they experienced as children, the individuals they blame are free to walk the streets. As the victims forever feel a misplaced sense of guilt, their alleged abusers likely feel none. They face a life sentence as those who always felt untouchable prove they might really be above the law after all. Read more: 'Tied to a radiator and abused by a gang of men'  The apparent failure of Humberside Polices two-year Operation Marksman to secure anything other than a single conviction, largely unrelated to the abuse recalled to us by six Hull girls, is perhaps a sign of the complexities involved in investigations of this nature. What started with reports of sexual abuse by two victims soon escalated into an inquiry involving many more. It would eventually encompass tens of persons of interest, with 34 arrested or interviewed, and see specialist investigators join forces with other agencies in an effort to gather intelligence. Yet, despite these best endeavours, serious questions remain - not just for the police, but for others in authority, and society in general. One of the victim told Hull Live they are gutted that after plucking up the courage to speak out, and after being assured by authorities that justice would be served, her abusers are still free. Securing a conviction in any sex case is notoriously difficult. This difficulty is multiplied with every new victim, suspect and lead. So with tens of people involved, and with the rings suggested links to other police force areas across the north of England, managing this investigation was never going to be easy. Victim of grooming speaks out  Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now  An added complication is that much of the evidence in the case has literally dissolved away, in hundreds of time-limited messages exchanged via Snapchat - the abusers platform of choice, allegedly used to lure girls to parties where they would be raped by a gang of men. No one, therefore, underestimates the challenge Humberside Polices protecting vulnerable people unit has faced in the two years of their investigation, and no one doubts the forces commitment to investigate any and all further information referred to them. Yet despite the efforts of the officer in charge, Detective Superintendent Laura Koscikiewicz, to build the strongest possible case to take to prosecutors, the victims will feel nothing other than disappointment at the winding down of the inquiry. While much of the alleged rings activities may still not be known, and may never be known, we do know several key details about the rings modus operandi, including who they targeted, where and how. For most of our readers, the abuse likely feels so distant. Yet it is terrifyingly proximate to everyday life, with missed opportunities seem petered throughout the girls harrowing accounts. When a schoolgirl arrived with a man at a city centre hotel while still wearing her school uniform, no staff batted an eyelid. In the cold light of day, it is an event that seems beyond comprehension. But perhaps it is just a sign of 21st century life where it is easier to look away than it is to speak up. (Image: Hull Live)  Another potential missed opportunity involves a girl who says she was identified as being at risk and even allocated a child exploitation worker to speak with, while at the same time being regularly raped by groups of men at parties. And when another girl was found by police in a hotel room after being reported missing, an officer allegedly told her to simply stop choosing to meet the men. The girls claim the nationalities of the man involved were Turkish, Kurdish, Bangladeshi and Pakistani, although Humberside Police say the backgrounds of the people arrested or questioned as part of Operation Marksman are varied. This alleged targeting of white girls by Asian and Middle Eastern men in Hull, though, has parallels with other child exploitation rings, in Rotherham, Rochdale and elsewhere in northern England. If you have any information you would like to share, contact Hull Live reporter Lisa Baxter at lisa.baxter@reachplc.com or message us on Facebook at Hull Live. If you can help Humberside Police with their investigations into child grooming or sexual exploitation, call 101 or visit Humberside Police. For support for victims of child exploitation visit the NSPCC charity or call 0800 1111 free if you are 18 or under. If you are worried about a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 for help, advice and support. In those areas, the suggestion was raised that political correctness had impeded the investigations, with council workers and police officers fearing they would be accused of racism. There is no suggestion that the issue of race has affected the actions of authorities here, including Humberside Police officers, to investigate. They say the ethnicity or nationality of the suspects or victim was not an investigative factor throughout its operation, and that any and all allegations have been thoroughly investigated. But if individuals from Hulls ethnic minority communities are involved, managing public perception will have been a consideration. Inquiries will also likely have been sensitively orchestrated to ensure community cohesion was not risked. It is another dynamic that in all likelihood will only have made the lives of investigators harder. It is also a factor that many will be quick to pounce upon to serve one agenda or another. But with the alleged abusers still on Hulls streets, it is vital that the girls stories are told, heard - and, most crucially of all, believed.