The disappearance and suspected murder of 14-year-old Charlene Downes in 2003 sent shockwaves through Blackpool.
As police began to investigate Charlene's disappearance, they discovered that she and a group of friends had been targeted by a group of older men. These men had sex with the girls, sometimes in exchange for cigarettes and food. As the investigation continued, police were convinced Charlene had been sexually abused and murdered.
What also became clear was that there were potentially more young people like Charlene in the area being targeted by sexual predators.
To tackle this the Awaken team was created in 2004 to bring together police, social workers, schools, licensing officers and nurses to target perpetrators, support victims and prevent abuse.
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