Latest Posts

  • What Happened to the Girls After the Trials Ended?

    ©️ By Sophie Lewis | The Grooming Files When grooming gang trials end, the public narrative reaches its conclusion. Charges brought.Convictions secured.Sentences handed down. Closure. Except that for the victims, this is often where the real damage begins. Justice Has…

    What Happened to the Girls After the Trials Ended?

  • There Is No Such Thing as a Child Prostitute

    ©️ Sophie Lewis| The Grooming Files People don’t like the phrase child prostitution. It’s confronting.It refuses euphemism.It doesn’t allow distance. So instead, softer language is used. At risk.Sexually active.Exchanging sex.Making unsafe choices. But none of those phrases tell the truth.…

    There Is No Such Thing as a Child Prostitute

  • When the System Decided the Girls Were the Problem

    ©️ By Sophie Lewis | The Grooming Files Long before grooming gang cases reached courtrooms, another decision had already been made. Not by offenders, but by the institutions meant to protect children. The decision was this..that the girls being abused…

    When the System Decided the Girls Were the Problem

  • Grooming Gangs Didn’t Hide — Authorities Looked Away

    ©️ By Sophie Lewis | The Grooming Files For years, the dominant narrative around grooming gangs has been one of invisibility. That the abuse was “hidden”.That nobody knew.That the signs were missed. But serious case reviews, court transcripts, and victim…

    Grooming Gangs Didn’t Hide — Authorities Looked Away

  • The School You Haven’t Heard About (But Absolutely Should)

    Four teachers. One Catholic school. Nearly two decades of abuse. ©️ By Sophie Lewis | The Grooming Files St Anne’s Catholic School and Sixth Form College in Southampton has become the focus of Hampshire Police Operation Stonecrop — an investigation…

    The School You Haven’t Heard About (But Absolutely Should)

  • The Intimidation Playbook: What Happened When I Documented Vigilante Failures — And Became the Target

    ©️ By Sophie Lewis | The Grooming Files On 26 December 2025, I published an investigative article examining structural failures in vigilante sting operations. The piece analysed how unregulated “paedophile hunter” groups often deploy intimidation tactics, operate without professional oversight,…

    The Intimidation Playbook: What Happened When I Documented Vigilante Failures — And Became the Target

  • BREAKING THE PATTERN: WHAT CATHERINE PEARL AND REBECCA JOYNES TEACH US ABOUT PREVENTION

    © By Sophie Lewis | The Grooming Files | @sophielewiseditorial Part 5 of 5: The Female Predators Series Two teachers. Two convictions. Years of abuse that happened in plain sight. Catherine Pearl: Deputy head teacher. Safeguarding responsibility. Abused a student…

    BREAKING THE PATTERN: WHAT CATHERINE PEARL AND REBECCA JOYNES TEACH US ABOUT PREVENTION

  • THE SENTENCING GAP: WHY FEMALE SEX OFFENDERS RECEIVE LIGHTER SENTENCES

    © By Sophie Lewis | The Grooming Files | @sophielewiseditorial Part 4 of 5: The Female Predators Series Catherine Pearl: 2 years 4 months. Rebecca Joynes: 6.5 years. Both teachers. Both convicted child sex offenders. Both abused positions of trust.…

    THE SENTENCING GAP: WHY FEMALE SEX OFFENDERS RECEIVE LIGHTER SENTENCES

  • DIFFERENT VICTIMS, DIFFERENT TACTICS: HOW FEMALE PREDATORS ADAPT THEIR APPROACH

    © By Sophie Lewis | The Grooming Files | @sophielewiseditorial Part 3 of 5: The Female Predators Series Rebecca Joynes groomed two 15 year old boys. Catherine Pearl abused a teenage girl. Both were teachers. Both exploited positions of trust.…

    DIFFERENT VICTIMS, DIFFERENT TACTICS: HOW FEMALE PREDATORS ADAPT THEIR APPROACH

  • THE PROTECTIVE FRAMING PROBLEM: HOW “WOMEN DON’T DO THAT” ENABLED YEARS OF ABUSE

    © By Sophie Lewis | The Grooming Files | @sophielewiseditorial Part 2 of 5: The Female Predators Series Catherine Pearl abused her victim over “a period of years.” She did so while serving as deputy head teacher at Didcot Girls’…

    THE PROTECTIVE FRAMING PROBLEM: HOW “WOMEN DON’T DO THAT” ENABLED YEARS OF ABUSE