Exclusive:"I've fought longer for justice than they've served": CSE survivors' agony as abusers could be released early
“It’s absolute insanity. Why on earth would you release such dangerous offenders into the community when they’ve not served a full term”
Sammy Woodhouse and Sarah Wilson thought their living nightmares were over.
After surviving being groomed, exploited and sexually abused as young girls in Rotherham, they somehow found the strength to come forward in a bid to take the men who stole their childhoods off the streets, in spite of the risks and possible consequences for them and their families.
They stood firm throughout the criminal trials that followed, being cross-examined by experienced barristers, as they relived their trauma over and over again in front of courtrooms full of strangers.
They waived their right to the anonymity that would have protected them for the rest of their lives, hoping that by doing so, they could empower others to trust in the criminal justice system and report what had happened to them.
By putting their names and the full extent of what happened to them into the public domain they hoped they could shine a spotlight on the shameful set of circumstances and failures that precipitated their abuse taking place - and maybe, just maybe, help to protect other children from similar crimes.
And when the justice they had fought so hard for was dispensed in the form of lengthy prison sentences for their abusers, Sammy and Sarah were told they would serve at least two-thirds of their terms behind bars.
But now, after receiving letters suggesting their abusers could be made to serve less time than expected - as part of plans under the Government’s Sentencing Act 2026, which is due to come into force in September - their lives have been upended once again, as they fear for their safety and question how this can be allowed to happen.
“It wasn’t worth reliving my trauma all over again”
“It’s absolute insanity. Why on earth would you release such dangerous offenders into the community when they’ve not served a full term?” asked Sammy.
Sarah added: “If this new law goes through, I’ll have fought longer for justice than they’ll have served in prison.”
“I feel let down, I feel like it wasn’t worth coming forward. It wasn’t worth the hassle, it wasn’t worth reliving my trauma all over again.”
Under the plans, a number of prisoners convicted of serious crimes, some of whom are killers, sex offenders and rapists, who are serving a standard determinate sentence could be considered for release at the half-way stage.
Currently, such offenders are required to serve two-thirds of their sentence before they can be considered for release.
Sammy helped to blow the lid off the shocking Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal which led to the publication of a damning report in 2014 revealing how around 1,400 children in Rotherham had been abused by grooming gangs and ignored. The report laid bare how men of predominantly Pakistani heritage abused vulnerable girls between 1997 and 2013.
She was groomed, raped, threatened and attacked for years and her firstborn child was born when she was just 15.
Sammy went public with the years of abuse she had suffered and lack of action taken against those involved in a bid to put an end to grooming and for some accountability to be taken by those who let down the town’s abused children.
Sammy’s rapist, Arshid Hussain, then aged 40, was jailed for 35 years in February 2016 after being found guilty of 23 separate charges. He was considered to be the ringleader of one of Rotherham’s most notorious grooming gangs which included his brothers.
Arshid’s abuse of Sammy led to her becoming pregnant as a young girl, and in addition to fighting for justice, Sammy has also campaigned for the government to give children born from rape legal “victim” status to give them a voice so that they can receive specialist help and potentially prosecute their fathers.
Coinciding with the end of Hussain’s first decade behind bars, Sammy says she has received a letter that suggests Arshid - along with his brother Basharat, then aged 39, who was jailed for 25 years alongside him for 15 offences including rape - are amongst those being considered for early release.
“The fact Arshid Hussain could be considered, and his brother. They’re some of the most dangerous men in our country. As well, in my case, there were so many charges against them they didn’t get extra sentences for some of them…These people should not be free,” said Sammy.
She continued: “It’s us victims who have to fight this every step of the way.
“He should be in prison, we should be safe.
“The fact they’re considering this, it’s going to put other children at risk.
“These people only stopped because we stopped them, because we came forward.
“I don’t believe they’re going to be reformed characters.”
“Failing to act would mean prisons running out of space as early as November,” says Government
The Government has described the grooming gangs scandal as one of "Britain's darkest moments” and say it is why they launched an “Independent Inquiry and toughened sentencing so these vile predators face longer sentences and have driven child sex offence convictions to record levels.”
A Government spokesperson added: “But because this government is sending more of these vile offenders to prison, and with just 500 prison places added under the last government, failing to act would mean prisons running out of space as early as November. That would leave us unable to lock up serious offenders at all.
“We are fixing that failure by building 14,000 prison places with 3,200 already delivered. Offenders judged by a judge to be the most dangerous offenders are excluded, prison rule-breakers can be locked up for longer, and those released can face 24/7 monitoring, restrictions on their movements, tagging their location and being banned from attending public events, pubs and clubs.”
Sammy says there are quite a lot of survivors who have received letters alerting them to the possibility their abuser may be released early.
She said: “Some of us are more angry, some of us are more terrified...I posted my letter on X and other survivors put their letters out.
“As much as social media can be a nightmare, it’s allowing people like myself to expose what’s happening.”
“I feel like I’m having my human rights taken off me”
Sarah was just 11-years-old, and had not yet started secondary school, when the horrific sexual abuse that made her life a daily misery for years began.
By the time she was aged 16, Sarah estimates she had been abused by at least 150 men.
Sarah strived to come to terms with what had happened to her in the months that followed. Tragically, the tiny amount of peace she had found was short-lived because in 2010 her 17-year-old sister, Laura Wilson, was murdered by her boyfriend in what was believed to be Britain’s first white honour killing.
Ashtiaq Asghar murdered Laura in October 2010, stabbing her 46 times, after she told his family about their secret relationship.
In the years that have followed, in addition to her own fight for justice, Sarah has also been fighting for the truth to be known about what happened to Laura.
In February 2026, the final set of court proceedings - which have resulted in seven of Sarah’s abusers being jailed for a combined total of 124 years, concluded when Riyasth Hussain was sent to begin a 20-year sentence.
Just four months later, Sarah received a letter saying Riyasth - along with Obaidullah Omari, who was only jailed in November 2025 - are amongst those being considered for an earlier release under the Sentencing Act 2026.
“[I feel] angry, upset, let down. I feel like I’m having my human rights taken off me,” said Sarah, adding that she has also been informed that restraining orders for another two of her abusers have been lifted leaving her with no protection when they are released.
“I’ve fought longer for justice than they’ve served.
“It’s made a massive difference mentally. I’m not doing well, I’ve had to ring my doctors to get me some medication for the daytime.
“I need some for the daytime because I’m on edge,” continued Sarah.
Survivors fear repercussions of their abusers being released earlier than expected
Sammy and Sarah both say they have always been fearful of the consequences of coming forward, with both women saying they have long believed they could be killed one day for going to the police.
With the early release of their abusers now being considered, their fears have intensified.
“These are some of the most dangerous men and women…and to think they could be back in the communities that they [abused] in…I’m scared, I’m scared of the repercussions,” said Sarah.
Sammy added: “I said when I came forward I would get dealt my consequences for reporting one day…I’m going to be constantly looking over my shoulder, even now I’ve got to think about having constant security.”
Sammy says she, along with her children, have been targeted, including threats and intimidation from the “very first day” she came forward.
“When my youngest was in school, people would be telling them what I was wearing, what car I came in.
“It’s been relentless since the day I came forward and I’m not on my own…They threatened me that much…I never backed down.
“It did get to the point, I did think that at one point I would be killed.”
Sammy says that despite the challenges and constant trolling that being an activist brings, it has protected her in some ways.
Switalskis Solicitors represents survivors of child sexual abuse, including a number from Rotherham.
Amy Clowrey is a solicitor and a director in the firm’s Child Abuse Compensation team, and says she can understand why some survivors are fearful of the repercussions of abusers being released earlier than anticipated.
“Some of these men weren’t one-off offenders, the majority of them were part of organised criminal gangs, and only one arm of what they did was child exploitation and trafficking.
“Some were violent offenders, involved with weapons, drugs.
“Women and children were often physically attacked or were privy to information about what these men had done, and were subject to threats made. So I can see why they’re fearful of repercussions.”
Ms Clowrey also said the possibility of early release has retraumatised a number of abuse survivors.
“It’s definitely caused a deterioration in mental health,” she said.
She described how her initial thoughts after hearing of the proposals was that it must be an error.
“It’s so traumatising, and I know some survivors have had to access crisis teams.”
“They thought they had more time…they thought they had x amount of years to get themselves together, maybe move to a different area, and the rug has been pulled away.”
“Some are worried about what the perpetrators will do when they’re released.”
“What is this showing to past abusers and future abusers?”
Sarah is also concerned about how the early release of child abusers will be perceived by both past and future offenders.
She said: “What is this showing to past abusers and future abusers?
“It’s showing them you can go and abuse children and women and men…you can spend a couple of years in prison where you’ve got computers, Playstations, phones…
“They get better treatment than what survivors get, it’s shocking.
“You’ve got a life sentence, whereas they don’t care about what they’ve done. Never have, never will…they will only go on to abuse.”
During the few months that have followed Riyasth’s sentencing, Sarah has undergone open heart surgery which “went really well.”
As she focused on her recovery, Sarah was looking forward to being allowed to live her life - free from abuse and without anything to fight for or work towards - for the first time since she was 11.
“I thought I was going to get to live my life. I was going to put the fight for Laura on the back burner for now…I thought I had a longer time to chill, relax, recover, and this has blown up my life.”
“I’ve had four months of freedom, and that’s not really been free because of the open heart surgery.”
Survivors meet with MPs to hand in letter ahead of Parliamentary debate
Sarah is continuing in her fight for justice, and visited Parliament earlier this month with other survivors, along with Amy at Switalskis, to urge MPs to consider the impact of the Sentencing Act ahead of a Parliamentary debate.
The women delivered their letter in person to MPs, urging Parliament to ensure survivors’ safety, dignity and recovery remain at the heart of decisions about offender release.
Following the debate, the women said: “We welcome the fact that Parliament is now talking about something that has caused so much fear for so many of us.
“For a long time it felt like nobody really understood what early release would mean for survivors.
“Knowing that MPs are listening gives us hope. We just hope they don’t stop at listening.
“We want them to make sure no one else has to go through the fear and uncertainty we’ve lived with.
“We want survivors to know they will still be protected after a sentence has been passed.”
Ms Clowrey added: “Every day, we support survivors who are rebuilding their lives after experiencing sexual abuse.
“For many, knowing the person who abused them is serving their sentence provides an important sense of safety. The possibility of that sentence being reduced can reopen trauma, reignite fear and leave survivors feeling that their wellbeing has become secondary to wider pressures on the prison system.
“We recognise the pressures facing the prison estate, but survivors of sexual abuse should not bear the consequences of those pressures.
“Where early release is considered, there must be robust safeguards, including timely notification, thorough risk assessments and appropriate support for survivors before an offender is released.
“It is encouraging to see MPs taking this issue seriously. We hope the debate leads to meaningful action that strengthens survivors’ rights and ensures they remain protected long after a conviction has been secured.”