“Journalism exists to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
Andrew Norfolk, the Times investigative reporter, whose expose of sexual grooming of underage girls by men of mainly Pakistani heritage in Rotherham and Rochdale in England sparked a national inquiry, has died.
He said recently: “This story is an example of why newspapers matter. When all else failed a very brave person (a Rotherham social worker) placed their trust in journalism. Those documents I was handed revealed something shameful. Something people whose job it was to protect children had chosen to keep hidden. It was an uncomfortable story but sometimes uncomfortable truths are the ones for journalists to tell because if we don’t no one else will.” “It seemed extraordinary that the authorities knew so much and did so little.”
After the first story appeared in January 2011, he was attacked by those who felt he was unfairly targeting a minority community. But Keir Starmer, then director of public prosecutions changed the rules so that more charges were possible.
Professor Alexis Jay’s 2014 report in 2014 found that 1,400 girls had been groomed and abused in Rotherham since the late 1990s. Children had been trafficked to other cities. Some were doused with petrol and told they would be set alight if they told anyone. The grooming gangs were acting with “virtual impunity”. Norfolk won the Paul Foot award and the Orwell prize for his investigations and was named the 2014 Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards.
Andrew Norfolk, born 8 January 1965, avoided the story when it was first raised by Ann Cryer, MP for Keighley, in 2003 since he assumed it would be a “dream story for the far right”. Yet his journalistic conscience overcame his reluctance in 2010 and he started digging through archive court material and local newspaper articles in libraries. He identified 17 cases in 13 places where 56 men had been convicted; 50 were Pakistani Muslims. “We found clear evidence of a crime pattern that was having the most devastating impact on some of the most vulnerable, innocent people in our society.”
He had a Capricorn Sun in an Earth Grand Trine to Jupiter in Taurus and Uranus, Pluto, Mars in Virgo with his Jupiter opposition Neptune in Scorpio, making Neptune his driving planet. He also had a Pisces Moon, perhaps conjunct Chiron, opposition his Virgo stellium – which sounds feasible; and square his North Node in Gemini opposition Mercury Venus in upbeat Sagittarius.
His Earth Grand Trine would make him practical, sensible, not given to flights of fancy. His Mutable Grand Cross could have made him highly strung with a tendency to get scattered, but it did hook him into the zeitgeist (spirit of the times) especially in its darker underbelly (Mars Pluto).
When his story was published on 5th January 2011 the transiting Chiron was conjunct Neptune and tr Pluto close to the North Node.
On his chart tr Pluto was conjunct his Solar Arc Neptune hinting at the scale of the reaction to a devastating story; with his Solar Arc Uranus, Pluto, Mars being in Scorpio.
Rotherham was incorporated as a borough on 6 September 1871, giving it a Virgo Sun and a tough Mars in Scorpio opposition Pluto in Taurus. When the abuse story emerged in print the Solar Arc Neptune was conjunct its Sun for an undermining moment; with there was also an uncertain, panicky tr Saturn opposition its Neptune; and a blocked, discouraging tr Pluto conjunct its Saturn.
Andrew Norfolk’s Uranus Pluto were conjunct Rotherham’s Sun for an explosive synastry. And his Jupiter opposition Neptune sitting on the Rotherham can-be-cruel Mars opposition Pluto would shine an idealistic light on their situation. Understandably his writing would not be welcomed with the relationship chart having a power-struggling and hostile composite Mars square Pluto which tr Saturn was triggering when the story surfaced in print.
The political fallout is still ongoing with resistance to another national inquiry, though given how little attention is paid to the conclusions of expensive, long-running inquiries, it is a moot point whether that is the answer.
Maybe Andrew Norfolk’s death will bring the horror that no one wants to know about back centre-stage for a while which may help.
Thanks Marjorie. Andrew Norfolk’s work is very important, and I hope it does serve to highlight this horrible ongoing scandal with its myriad injustices. The Yorkshire Post has a timeline for the scandal in Yorkshire (19 January 2025) starting in 2001 when warnings were, needless to say, ignored. These crimes have been reported and prosecuted in quite a number of other towns, including Oxford and Aylesbury. It is so shocking to think they apparently stretch back over more than twenty five years.
I noticed Rotherham’s Mars-Pluto opposition, and, as you write about AN, “And his Jupiter opposition Neptune sitting on the Rotherham can-be-cruel Mars opposition Pluto would shine an idealistic light on their situation.”
Of interest is former MP Ann Cryer’s (13 or 14 December, 1939) natal Uranus, 18 Taurus, and the UK Neptune 18 Scorpio – potentially signalling Scorpio sex and crime, with Neptune’s scandals. I wonder about the Uranus, Mars, Nodes alignment of August 2022 here and how it may have sensitised the degree. The present government’s Mars is 19 Taurus.
Professor Alexis Jay’s seven year independent investigation into Child Sexual Abuse was published not long after the Uranus/Nodes/Mars conjunction, on 20th October 2022, when Saturn was 18 Aquarius. In November, there was a Lunar Eclipse at 16 Taurus opposing Venus and Mercury in Scorpio, and square Saturn in Aquarius. Young voices, particularly female (Venus and Mercury) struggling to be heard against Saturn in Aquarius?
There are other links between Andrew Norfolk, Ann Cryer, and Rotherham. One which caught my eye was:
Rotherham Sun 13 Virgo
Andrew Norfolk Uranus 14 Virgo, Pluto 16 Virgo
Ann Cryer Mars, 15 Pisces
Lunar Eclipse, September 2025, 15 Pisces
Current Government, Saturn 19 Pisces
I very much hope things don’t get brushed under the somewhat fetid carpet yet again….
I’d like to add that campaigning investigative journalist, W.T.Stead (5th July 1849), published the first in a series of shocking articles exposing child sexual exploitation, trafficking and prostitution in London on 6th July 1885, in the Pall Mall Gazette. The Sun, 14 Cancer, opposed Black Moon Lilith 14 Capricorn (lunar apogee). That Sun is right opposite Andrew Norfolk’s article Sun in Capricorn in 2011.
The Moon’s Nodes in 1885 were 28 Virgo/Pisces. The 2011 article has legal Jupiter, 27 Pisces, and shocking Uranus 27 Pisces. Juno happens to be 28 Virgo.
Sometimes ‘scandalous’ Neptune for Stead’s series was 24 Taurus, Neptune in 2011 was 26 Aquarius.
Mars at 12 Gemini was conjunct Chiron 13 Gemini in 1885, communicating and writing about something that was harming Gemini’s youth? They happen to square Rotherham’s 13 Virgo Sun, Andrew Norfolk’s Uranus and Pluto in Virgo, and Ann Cryer’s natal Mars in Pisces. The Pisces Lunar Eclipse in September may be part of the picture?
Anyway, Stead’s campaign succeeded in raising the age of consent from 13 to 16 that same year. It is really quite horrifying to read:
“Stead commented that “Children of twelve and thirteen cannot offer any serious resistance. They only dimly comprehend what it all means.” Also worth noting that these children were usually drugged with laudanum.
Well over a century on from this Victorian scandal, it seems we have a very long way still to go.
It is interesting to see Andrew’s Sun/Venus midpoint and Sun/Mercury are circa 6 degrees of Capricorn, which during his investigation, would have been influenced by transiting Pluto in Capricorn. Capricorn represents Justice. His Pluto/Chiron opposition, in Pisces – the hidden – and Virgo/Mercury – the writer would indicate writing about the pain of the unseen or none investigated. Which in this case was a hidden wound constantly being inflicted . Transiting Pluto with his Earth trine gave him an impetus and determined approach to bring to the light dubious practices. Maybe he was born to do this work? In this case the women in this country should be to him. As he wrote and broke the story about unimaginable horror of this abuse, which was seemingly condoned by the gutless people, who found it easier to turn a blind eye. Primarily men in powerful positions. It is staggering that our PM – a human rights lawyer- is now unwilling to bring real justice to those abused women/girls by holding a National Inquiry.
“ ..should be grateful to him”. Also the social worker. It made a difficult post to write. As this was Britain in the 21st Century, with equal opportunities for men and women, part of our law. So why did so many keep quiet? Allowing horrific abuse to continue?