Seven Men Charged With 40 Offenses in Child Exploitation Investigation

Seven men have been charged with a total of 40 offenses as part of an investigation into group-based child exploitation. Norfolk Police said officers raided seven addresses on Wednesday. Six of the men are aged 20 and one is aged 21. They were arrested following raids on six addresses in Norwich and one in Dumbarton, Scotland.

The charges relate to two girls aged in their early to mid-teens at the time of the alleged offenses, which are said to have occurred between August 2023 and May 2025 in Norwich. All seven men appeared before magistrates in Norwich earlier and spoke only to confirm their names.

The men were remanded in custody and will appear at Norwich Crown Court on June 19. Norfolk Police said an eighth man, aged 19, had been arrested in Ireland on Friday as part of the investigation.

Police said the men were Afghan nationals and their immigration status was "refugee". Police described the investigation as "complex and sensitive". " The men face various charges including rape, conspiracy to rape, facilitating human trafficking, and perverting the course of justice.