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Was Charlene, 14, sexually abused by up to 100 men before being murdered and chopped up for kebab meat? Police reopen case of missing teenager ten years on
Charlene Downes, 14, disappeared in Blackpool ten years ago today She had been abused by up to 100 men before her death, police believe Paige Chivers, 15, vanished in August 2007 and was also groomed for sex Police relaunch inquiry and urge the public for information about them
By Martin Robinson and James Tozer PUBLISHED: 10:23 GMT, 1 November 2013 | UPDATED: 01:18 GMT, 2 November 2013

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A murdered schoolgirl who vanished ten years ago was sexually abused by as many as 100 men in the run-up to her death, it emerged yesterday. Charlene Downes, 14, had been a victim of child sex gangs in Blackpool, many of them centred on takeaway restaurants. Yesterday it was claimed that her parents turned a blind eye to the some of the abuse which is alleged to have taken place in the family home.

New probe: Police have relaunched investigations into the murders of Charlene Downes (left) and Paige Chivers (right) in Blackpool in the past ten years

In 2007 two business partners were tried for murdering Charlene and disposing of her body using a mincing machine, before putting it into kebabs. However, a jury failed to reach a verdict and a retrial collapsed. Iyad Albattikhi and Mohammed Reveshi later received six-figure compensation sums for false imprisonment. To mark the tenth anniversary of Charlenes disappearance, police yesterday announced they have appointed a dedicated full-time senior investigating officer to the case. The team will also look into the disappearance of another teenager from Blackpool, Paige Chivers, 15, who vanished in August 2007. Charlenes parents are not co-operating with the police inquiry and will today take part in a BNP march, having shared platforms with leader Nick Griffin accusing Muslim paedophile gangs of targeting their daughter. However, it emerged that police drew up a list of 100 people of interest, suspected of abusing Charlene, including a succession of older white men invited into the family home by her parents, The Times reported. Yesterday, Charlenes mother Karen told the Daily Mail the allegations were exaggerated and widely untrue. Assistant Chief Constable Andy Rhodes said Lancashire Constabulary had never given up the search for either girl, but hoped the fresh investigation would jog people's memories.

Renewed appeals: The two teenagers vanished without a trace but may have been murdered by a paedophile

Cold case: This kebab shop was at the heart of Charlene's case. Its then owner was falsely accused of killing her and chopping her up. He and another man were paid compensation after the case against them collapsed. It is believed to be under new ownership and changes its name

'There is nothing evidentially that links these cases at present although we would never rule it out but as with Charlene, I would also ask people to remember Paige and, again, let us know if there's anything they have been keeping to themselves about what happened to her,' he said. 'We know that people are more confident in coming forward to report historic information nowadays and this may be the case here. 'Charlene and Paige's friends, obviously just teenagers at the time they went missing, will now be grown up and may have their own children. I would hope they may be more confident now in coming forward and telling us what they may know. He added: 'We appreciate that a considerable amount of time has passed since both Charlene and Paige went missing but we would still encourage anyone with information to come forward and speak to us as it could assist in our inquiries, and help bring the killer or killers to justice.' Lancashire police and crime commissioner Clive Grunshaw said he had seen many cases where information years later resulted in successful prosecutions. Mr Grunshaw specifically mentioned the case of former BBC presenter Stuart Hall, who was jailed for child sexual abuse against 14 girls between 1967 and 1985. 'I hope, in the cases of both Charlene and Paige, there is someone out there who now feels comfortable enough to come forward and tell the police what they know,' he said. 'Charlene and Paige's families have a right to know what happened to their children, and I would urge anyone who thinks they might know something - no matter how small - to take this opportunity and contact the police.' Prosecutors in the 2007 trial of takeaway owner Iyad Albattikhi, accused and later acquitted of Charlene's

death, claimed her body was chopped up and had 'gone into kebabs'. The court heard Charlene was one of a number of young white girls who gravitated to Blackpool's takeaways to have sex with older men. Mr Albattikhi was formally cleared of Charlene's murder while co-defendant Mohammed Reveshi was acquitted of helping to dispose of her body. Both of the accused were later reported to have received six-figure compensation sums for false imprisonment. Paige had also been linked to sex exploitation in the area. Over the years, police have made four arrests on suspicion of Paige's murder but all have been freed without charge.

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Comments (210)
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Olivia, The lost city, United Kingdom, 4 days ago Evil walks amongst us, they have no conscience , no heart and no soul. God help all their victims 16 1072 Click to rate Michael, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, 4 days ago What have we become?? 15 681 Click to rate VincentH, Leicester, United Kingdom, 4 days ago

Print the full story DM! 15 654 Click to rate cathd, Blackpool, 4 days ago So so unbelievably sad! I hope that one day the killers are caught and hopefully flipin tortured!!!! 10 502 Click to rate Tim Coleman, Nottingham, United Kingdom, 4 days ago This type of abuse happens again and again in certain parts of the country and some either know or have their suspicions and would have spoken out by now if they had any decency. Some might even pretend to be religious but they are the ones that are most delusional because not even the lowest of the low should be able to live with what the know/suspect. 16 550 Click to rate chunky, Cheshire - UK , 4 days ago There is a special place in hell for people capable of such evil 11 480 Click to rate vikihastings, hastings, 4 days ago abused by up to 100 men ? to say that, the police must know who most of them are ! if true ....more evidence would have come out by now ! i suspect just gossip ! 134 294 Click to rate Ceorl, Eastern England, United Kingdom, 4 days ago About time they probably investigated this sickening case, however uncomfortable the truth. 5 430 Click to rate xxkirstyxx, Merseyside., United Kingdom, 4 days ago Bit late now for paige's family as its on the bbc site her mother passed away about 3 years ago and her father recently. 55 797 Click to rate Betty, London, United Kingdom, 4 days ago Justice should still prevail for both these girls. 3 398 Click to rate

Lady Penelope, Creighton Ward Mansion UK, 4 days ago What is going on in the world - I hate what has become of this world. When I was a kid you only ever heard about a murder once in a while. Now it seems murders are a daily occurrence - and the way people are murdered is beyond sick. It's inly going to get worse isn't it.

53 1177 Click to rate 2 of 3 repliesSee all replies Advocate of Lucifer, UK, United Kingdom, 4 days ago If you honestly think that people getting murdered now is sick, you obviously haven't read much about British history when people were burned at the stakes alive. 343 131 Click to rate yvonne horak, cape towen, 4 days ago It is all the rubbish that has been allowed to make UK their home Soon there will be NOTHING of Uk Culture left and nothing of the once "GREAT" Britain !. 113 746 Click to rate The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

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