Sheffield man charged with 17 offences related to Rotherham child abuse investigation

Officers from the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood confirmed they had now charged a 57-year-old man with 17 offences relating to the abuse of four teenage girls in the 1990s.

The man will appear before Sheffield Magistrateson 22 Junecharged with rape, indecent assault, false imprisonment, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The offences are alleged to have been committed between 1996 and 1999 against four female victims, who were aged between 15 and 19 years old at the time.

Operation Stovewood is the UK's single largest law enforcement investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse in Rotherham.

There are currently more than 40 separate investigations running under the Stovewood umbrella, involving more than 200 officers.

The National Crime Agency's Investigating Officer Philip Marshall said: “We remain focused on seeking justice for and providing support to victims, who remain our first priority.

“Our investigations in Rotherham continue, and I’d urge anyone who believes they may have been a victim between 1997 and 2013, or who might have information that might assist us, to contact us.”

To date, 20 people have been convicted of offences relating Stovewood.

The courts have handed down prison sentences totalling around 250 years.