I was today approached to speak on the radio about the growing row over whether there should be a further inquiry into child sexual exploitation particularly in the Oldham area.
Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, formally Twitter, posted comments on the platform after Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, had rejected calls from Oldham council for a public inquiry into child exploitation in the town.
I have spent many years acting for victims of child sexual exploitation, particularly at the hands of gangs in the North West of England. I have appeared on various television programmes talking about the abuse, particularly in Rochdale, and I also gave evidence to the Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse chaired by Professor Alexis Jay.
On this occasion, I would fully support the views expressed by Maggie Oliver (former Greater Manchester Police Officer and “whistleblower”) and Nazir Afzal (ex-Chief Prosecutor) as reflected in this article from The Guardian.
What further purpose would be served by an inquiry?
We have already spent an inordinate amount of time considering what went wrong and what led to the abuse of so many vulnerable children in Rochdale and other areas. When the previous inquiry eventually reported they made various recommendations which they thought would help victims particularly in seeking justice. None of these recommendations have yet been implemented. It is 2 years since the report was released. The inquiry itself ran for 7 years with 325 days of public hearings and evidence from 725 victims.
You certainly have to question what purpose any further inquiries would serve.
My own view is that it would be far better to concentrate on implementing the recommendations from the previous inquiry, without spending more time and money on further inquiries, which ultimately will have little benefit for the victims.
The new Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch said:
“The time is long overdue for a full national inquiry into the rape gang scandal.”
That inquiry has already taken place. The inquiry led by Professor Jay looked into abuse by organised groups including the Rochdale gangs. There is no need for further inquiry. We know that gangs of men in certain areas of the country targeted vulnerable children and sexually abused them for a number of years. We know these children were failed by multiple agencies including social services and the police. It is now time to act on recommendations of the previous inquiry to ensure survivors of abuse by grooming gangs can seek the redress they deserve and, more importantly, to put processes and protections in place to ensure no more children are subjected to abuse.
Farleys’ Abuse Claims Specialists
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