Evie

“I thought she was my friend at first. She gave me vapes, offered me lifts, and always acted like it was no big deal. I never thought I owed her anything.

Then she introduced me to her brother. He told me he’d paid for everything and that I owed them £500. When I said I couldn’t pay, he threatened to come to my house and get the money from my Mam. I was terrified.

He said I could work off the debt by delivering packages and shoplifting. He gave me a lined bag and told me the alarms wouldn’t go off. They did. I got caught and was too scared to tell anyone what was really happening, so I took the blame.

Now I’m banned from the precinct, and my picture is in the security lodge. The debt never seemed to get any smaller. He said getting caught was my fault and I still owed him. I felt trapped. I was scared of him and didn’t feel like saying no was an option.”

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Shoplifting, or being forced to steal? Evie was caught committing a crime, but she had been exploited by an adult into stealing goods so that he could profit. Evie was groomed and then tricked into believing she owed a debt to the exploiter.

There were opportunities for members of the public to recognise that she was being exploited. Our campaign encourages everyone to learn how children are being groomed, so you can see where an exploited child could be hidden beyond the behaviour.