Snatched: Trapped by a Woman to Be Sold to Men

by Elizabeth Harper

Groomed and procured by a woman, raped by several men and labelled ‘one of the most abused girl in Rotherham’, now Elizabeth Harper is fighting for answers as to why so many people paid to protect our children simply turned a blind eye. Aged just 15, lonely and bullied by her peers, Elizabeth ‘El’ Harper felt like an outcast. But then a chance encounter in the street with a friendly woman suddenly brought hope to her world. A friendship between El and this benevolent stranger blossomed, and life began to feel worth living again. As the months passed, El grew more and more distant from her family. One day, she didn’t return home to her parents at all … Snatched is the shocking true story of how a young girl was taken from the streets and groomed into Britain’s biggest sex-trafficking ring, all at the hands of a woman. It is also an inspiring account of how trauma can turn vulnerability to strength in the most extraordinary of ways.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2022

Reviews

[Erica⭐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very difficult book to read but it is essential that as many people as possible read it to better understand how the grooming and the brutal rape of children takes place and took place in Rotherham.

Elizabeth is an amazing survivor and I commend her mum and dad and Risky Business a local youth project for the amazing support they gave her despite the dire behaviour of South Yorkshire Police and the total failure of Rotherham Council to protect children over many many years.

Well done Elizabeth for having the courage to share what happened to you.

[Sallyann Carlisle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg the poor girl in this book and what happened to her is shocking

[Omnia ElKaramany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart breaking story that’s captivating and well written.

[Louise Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snatched was a compelling, deeply disturbing and necessary read. It highlights the vulnerability of children and those soulless, perverse fiends who take advantage of them. The world is still very much an unsafe place and we need to protect our children more than ever.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brave and honest account from a remarkable young lady.

This brave book has been written by the victim of a huge Sex exploitation scandal based in Rotherham, and describes in harrowing detail just how she suffered and the hands of many pedophiles. Most surprisingly of all, was that the main person involved in this set up was a female. As a female, most women would agree if we had to choose to trust a man or a woman, a woman would be the one we could feel we could trust. El Harper is a young girl, going off the rails, refusing to go to school and truanting whilst her parents are at work. She notices a woman at a bus stop repeatedly as she travels the same route daily whilst she is supposed to be in school, and slowly begins to befriend this woman, Shafina Ali. Eventually they make a friendship and El trusts in Shafina that she should meet Shafina's daughter Donna, and this is how El is enticed to go to Shafina's home where the story began.

Slowly, things started to not make sense, El was plied with drink and drugs and Pakistani men began turning up and it was then she began to realise she was trapped and tricked, and ultimately this led to multiple rapes and absolute horrible suffering, by which time it was too late. She had disowned her parents giving them so much grief with her truancy and leaving to go to Shafina's she had lost all contact, and now she couldn't get back to them even if she tried.

The torture lasts for months, an endless round of being fed drink and drugs, men randomly turning up to have their way with El. There is a long road ahead for El and she is remarkably brave, what she went through one can only imagine. Notably, what makes this story even more harrowing is the fact that during all this, South Yorkshire Police let El and her family down on numerous occasions. Luckily, there were some saviours along the way...

A great but difficult read. Very brave young lady and I wish her all the best moving forward.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently saw this poor woman at a party conference. I was so full of admiration for her courageous speech, that I obtained her book from the library as I just could not imagine what she had been through.
15 year old El had a passion for books and being academic made her the target of numerous bullies at school. She eventually stopped going to school and ended up walking the streets until home time. She is eventually stalked by a woman who befriends her and takes her home to her flat, where she introduces her to alcohol and drugs. Over a matter of weeks she moves in with the woman, leaving her parents highly distraught and in permanent contact with the police, who appear to show no interest at all.
In an alcohol and drug induced state, she is subjected to numerous rapes by Pakistani cab drivers who pay her new "friend" with packets of Benson and Hedges and electric credit keys!
The book discusses the numerous cover ups by the police force, councils and various other associations. Thankfully not everybody was scared to keep it all hushed up and the truth finally came out. Please read this book , it's horrifying, it's sad and it will make you weep. But people need to know exactly what was and still is going on

[Abra Brash · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so hard to say you "enjoy" a book about someone's trauma and suffering, but this book had me gripped from start to finish, the writing of it was captivating. The over all taking from this book is that we look at women as "safe", to protect other females, mother and nurture them, especially the younger generation, but the woman who groomed Elizabeth from that first meeting at the bus stop, is as culpable if not more than the perpetrators of the abuse she suffered. I hope this brave girl's story can be a help to survivors to give them courage and strength in the justice system and a lesson to reporters to be more diligent in keeping child victims anonymity safe. Child abuse is certainly something society needs to take responsibility for as a collective effort, without bitterness, blame or predjudice.

[Coley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What el went through was truly shattering! I think that all professionals need to read more books on exploitation and more work needs to be done within authority’s to prevent such matters. Risky business should be a charity that is government funded and in all localities because the work they did was just second to none! What a strong woman! Such a sad story but one that was told with such honesty and grace

[Roxy Welsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raw, harrowing and equally heartbreaking. I read this book as I’m thinking of taking a different career path, working with teenage girls and I’ve worked with survivors of sexual violence before.
El was let down by so many services and those that were meant to protect. It was a hard, hard read but it has left me in awe of her brute, mental strength in challenging all of those that abused and enabled the abuse.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was not a fan of this book. While my heart breaks for all victims of grooming and trafficking, I think this book works against public understanding. She never accepts her own accountability of her actions as an adult. This book is also sickeningly racist. The book portrays all Pakistani men as predators.

[Samantha Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very shocking true story. It was quite strange to read this as it’s set in a areas that I’m familiar with. This made it more real for me. It’s terrible that this kind of thing goes on . That poor girl, let down badly by the police and local Council.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeths story is a must read. A harrowing story of how children are exploited, groomed and manipulated.

Her story shows how many cracks are in the system that is meant to protect the innocent and the vulnerable.

[Ione Berkelmans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very raw but well worth reading. Hard to read through tears at times.

[Abigail Leitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart breaking

[Keri Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in a day only and would recommend.

[laura.B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel to bad for Elizabeth Harper and all the awful things she went through.

[Sarah Thornock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hard to read, the thing this girl went through was horrendous. Its amazing that with the support of her family and hard work she's been able to start healing from her trauma.