Seven Afghan Refugee Status Men Charged Over Child Sexual Exploitation in Norwich

Seven Afghan nationals with refugee status have been charged with 40 offences related to child sexual exploitation following a major police investigation in Norwich. The men, aged between 20 and 23, appeared at Norwich Magistrates' Court on Friday and were remanded into custody pending a plea hearing scheduled for June 19 at Norwich Crown Court.

The charges, which include assault, conspiracy to assault, facilitating human trafficking, and perverting the course of justice, relate to two alleged victims who were in their early to mid-teens at the time. The offences are alleged to have occurred between August 2023 and May 2025.

The investigation, named Operation Highwood, began in September 2023 after a young girl came forward. Police executed coordinated raids at seven addresses, six in Norwich and one in Dumbarton, Scotland, leading to the arrests. Authorities stated that an eighth suspect, a 19-year-old man, was arrested in Ireland, and processes are underway to seek his return to the UK.

Police confirmed that five of the charged men arrived in the UK via small boat crossings between 2021 and 2022. One man entered concealed in a lorry in 2020, and another attempted to enter...