A rape victim who found out that her rapist was offered the chance to be in her son’s life has spoken of her anger at the decision.

Sammy Woodhouse, 33, hit out at social services for approaching grooming gang ringleader Arshid Hussain.

She was raped and abused by him from the age of 14 when he groomed her at a corner shop and fell pregnant as a result when she was 15.

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Sammy Woodhouse was just 15 when she gave birth to her son who was conceived through rape

She said: ‘Rotherham Council have offered him to apply for parental rights over my child, even though [it has been] proven in a court of law, where he was sentenced to 35 years, that he is a danger to myself and to other children.




‘I have also been able to prove that he is a direct harm towards my son.

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‘This is happening all over the country and it needs to stop. Children and being removed, being given to rapists and murderers, for their families to have access.

‘Rape victims are also having to go to support centres to share access, to see the men that raped them.’

Hussain raped, abused and prostituted girls in the Rotherham area with his brothers and at one he point forced Sammy to have an abortion.

He operated with his two brothers among others.

She has done all she can to protect her son from her attacker, but social services approached him in prison

She is now being supported by MP Louise Haigh to ensure that rapists can’t get access to children conceived through rape.

After discovering Hussain had been approached Sally told The Times: ‘I was gobsmacked. The council knew what he did to me and to other vulnerable girls.

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‘They knew he was behind bars and a risk to my son, who wanted nothing to do with him, but they bent over backwards to include him in the case. I felt angry and scared for my son.’

The publication stated that a family court judge found that Ms Woodhouse was unable to deal with her son’s complex needs when the council applied for a care order, with her support.

In such cases they have a legal obligation to include anyone with ‘parental responsibility’ – but in this case the rapist was not named on the birth certificate and the boy wanted nothing to do with his paternal family.

Ms Woodhouse gave birth to her son aged just 15 (Picture: PA)

Miss Haigh said the council’s decision was ‘appallingly insensitive’ and said they had ‘handed [Hussain] an invitation to re-traumatise his victim’.

‘No man who has fathered a child through abuse or rape should have the right to apply for custody or visitation rights in the family courts,’ she said.

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A spokesperson for Rotherham Council said it had a duty to comply with family court practice directions.

These include a requirement to give notice of proceedings to ‘every person whom the applicant believes to be a parent without parental responsibility for the child.’

She added: ‘Often and understandably, cases before the family court are emotive and arouse strong feelings amongst those affected.

‘We do understand that the legal requirements can cause upset to those involved and so we welcome a debate around this issue, which applies across England and Wales.’

Arshid Hussain groomed Sammy Woodhouse from the age of 14 (Picture: PA)

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