Police in West Yorkshire have arrested 44 people after an investigation into historic child sexual abuse.
The 36 men and three women were arrested last week as detectives investigated allegations in Kirklees, Bradford, Leeds and other parts of the county.
Another five men were arrested last year.
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The suspects are aged between 39 and 81 years old.
All 44 have been interviewed and have been released under investigation.
The investigation followed allegations from four women of sexual abuse against them between 1995 and 2002.
They were between 12 and 16 at the time of alleged abuse.
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A report in The Daily Mail quoted Detective Inspector Seth Robinson, who is leading the investigation.
“Safeguarding and protecting children remains the top priority for West Yorkshire Police,” DI Robinson said.
“We hope that these recent arrests reassure our local communities that we are wholly committed to tackling child sexual exploitation in Kirklees both current and non-recent.”
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“West Yorkshire Police has specialist safeguarding units across each of the five Districts, which include police officers and detectives dedicated to dealing with both current and non-recent child abuse and child sexual exploitation,” he continued.
“We would urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or historic, to report it to the police.
“Please be assured that you will be listened to, taken seriously and supported by professionals with experience of dealing with these kind of offences.”
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