Further outcomes secured, as investigations into recent and non-recent CSE continue

As we have entered a New Year, we are continuing to pursue child sexual exploitation (CSE) perpetrators with the same vigour, keeping victims and survivors at the heart of our investigations and action.

This approach is adopted by both our dedicated and specialist Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT) – who carry several complex and long-standing investigations into non-recent, group based CSE in Greater Manchester – as well as our district based Complex Safeguarding Hubs, who primarily investigate CSE within the here and now.

Omar Saif, a CSE perpetrator from Rochdale, was arrested and has since been brought to justice (read below)

Time is no barrier to justice, and we are committed to achieving outcomes that survivors are satisfied with, whether through convictions or other forms of justice such as just being believed and supported, for any victim or survivor who comes forward to us, at any time.

Our message to any other survivors who have not yet come forward or are not in a place to support a prosecution at this time, is that whenever you are ready, we will listen, and we will act.

Operation Sherwood makes significant progress with five further arrests

Over the last month, our CSE MIT team have conducted several arrests as part of the complex and wide-ranging investigation into child sexual abuse in Oldham in the 2010s.

On 22 January 2026, a 43-year-old man from Oldham and 53-year-old man from Rochdale were both arrested on suspicion of facilitating a child sexual offence and conspiracy to commit sexual offences.

On the same day, a 40-year-old man from Oldham was arrested on suspicion of rape.

On 4 February, a further two men based in West Yorkshire were arrested as part of this operation. A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence and a 39-year-old man on suspicion of rape of a female under 16.

All these men have been bailed with strict conditions, and the survivors who have come forward and placed faith in the GMP of today have been updated with the progress being made.

These arrests in the last few weeks take the total number to 27 for Operation Sherwood.

Detective Chief Inspector Guy Laycock, Op Sherwood lead, said, “Since Operation Sherwood was launched in 2022, we have been working with the survivors who have put their trust in us to build up a strong evidential picture of what was happening to them.

“This has led us to where we are now, which is actively pursuing suspects, bringing them in for questioning and moving closer to securing outcomes.

“These criminals may have thought they had gotten away with it, but we are coming for them and will not allow passage of time to obstruct our investigations.

“We are determined to bring to justice all those who inflicted misery on children in Oldham.”

Rochdale Complex Safeguarding Team secure 13-and-a-half year sentence for serial child abuser

A 23-year-old man has received a 13-and-a-half year sentence at Manchester Crown Court today (23 February 2026) after pleading guilty to several sexual offences against children.

The sentence includes an extended licence period of five years.

Omar Saif (09/10/2002) from Rochdale pleaded guilty to the following offences at hearings spanning 2024 – 2026:

• Two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16
• Six counts of sexual communication with a child
• Two counts of inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity
• Blackmail 
• Making indecent photographs of a child (44 Category A, six Category B, 105 Category C)

This comes following an investigation led by our specialist complex safeguarding experts on the Rochdale district, who primarily deal with recent cases of exploitation of children.

Omar Saif has been jailed

Saif has remained on remand since his arrest in September 2023, after the parent of a 14-year-old girl contacted us to say he had lured the girl to a secluded area close to an allotment in Rochdale and violated her without her consent.  

Upon analysis of Saif’s mobile devices by our digital forensic experts, we uncovered a significant number of chats with girls aged 13 to 17 across his messages and social media. Much of this chat was found to be sexual in nature, involving him attempting to set up meetings with some of the girls at hotels, encouraging them to remove any boys from their friends list or share their location. He often lied about his age, stating he was younger than he was.

He also had coerced some of these girls to send indecent images of themselves to him as they chatted; despite knowing they were not of legal age to do so.

Our priority was to identify and safeguard these girls, leading us to engage with a total of 105 girls from all over the country alongside partner agencies. Some of the girls did not wish to be part of the process, but with documentation proving their age at the time of the offending, we could still pursue the charges without them needing to provide an account or come to court.

DC Chris Davies who investigated the case said, “This is a deeply concerning example of how child sexual abusers use online methods to target large numbers of underage victims, building their trust to ultimately control them for their own sexual gratification.

“In this case, Saif’s offending also spanned into the offline world, meeting up with and abusing one victim in person.

“Saif made several attempts to hide his devices from officers when arrested, demonstrating he knew what he was doing was wrong and we would prove it if we were to get hold of them.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the bravery of all girls and parents in speaking with us or supporting the case, as we understand a phone call or knock at the door from the police in these circumstances would be unexpected and sometimes uncomfortable.

“A dangerous predator is now in prison and unable to harm anyone else, which I hope will provide those impacted a sense of relief and justice. We remain steadfast in pursuing those who seek to target and exploit children.”

Op Luka highlighted at national conference on CSE disruption

The team behind Operation Luka, a unique co-located GMP and Manchester City Council partnership which looks to protect vulnerable young people from harm in Manchester City Centre, presented their results to date at the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Disruption Conference on 11 February 2026.

The input was delivered to professionals across policing and partner agencies, aimed at showcasing how Op Luka is preventing harm, acting on information quickly, building trust with young people and stopping exploitation in real time.

The conference’s focus was on disruption particularly, of which Op Luka has made a significant impact in the last two years. Full results to date are available here: Two years on: Operation Luka succeeding in safeguarding young people and disrupting exploitation in Manchester | Greater Manchester Police

Op Luka highlights how working side-by-side with partners can make a real difference, with over 300 interventions completed, 200 children safeguarded and dozens of arrests made.

How to report a crime and access support services

If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police, or a support agency so you can get the help and support available.

- Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Manchester provides a comprehensive and co-ordinated response to men, women and children who live or have been sexually assaulted within Greater Manchester. They offer forensic medical examinations, practical and emotional support as well as a counselling service for all ages. Services are available on a 24-hour basis and can be accessed by calling 0161 276 6515.

- Greater Manchester Rape Crisis is a confidential information, support and counselling service run by women for women over 18 who have been raped or sexually abused at any time in their lives. Call on 0161 273 4500 or email [email protected]

- We are Survivors provides specialist trauma informed support to male victims in Greater Manchester who have experienced sexual abuse, rape, or sexual exploitation. Call 0161 236 2182.