Police investigating sexual exploitation of a girl 20 years ago arrest three suspects

Three men have been arrested during raids in Oldham and Manchester as part of an investigation into the sexual abuse of a child during the early 2000s.

The men, aged 64, 61 and 47, have been arrested on suspicion of a variety of sexual offences concerning incidents involving a girl some 20 years ago. Following the execution of three search warrants at addresses in Manchester and Oldham today (Tuesday), the three suspects remained in police custody this evening and were being questioned by detectives.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the arrests were part of an 'ongoing investigation into non-recent child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester'.

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The swoops followed an 'extensive investigation' by detectives from GMP's Child Sexual Exploitation Unit, according to the force.

Detective Inspector Eleanor Humphreys said: "The centre of our investigations into non-recent child sexual exploitation is very much focussed on the victims of these awful offences. We takes reports of this nature very seriously and all investigations are handled by our specially-trained and dedicated CSE team who deal with cases with the utmost sensitivity and care towards those affected.

"We are committed to enhancing our approach when dealing with non-recent reports of sexual abuse and are proactively tackling this by pursuing all available lines of enquiry through extensive and thorough investigations. The action taken this morning across Oldham and Manchester is a step in the right direction and showcases we are actively bringing those responsible to justice.

"Following the arrests this morning, our