Thursday, 27 September 2012

Rochdale abuse: Social services 'missed opportunities'

The men plied their victims with drink and drugs so they could "pass them around" for sex

Social services and police "missed opportunities" to stop the sexual abuse of young girls in Rochdale, a report into a grooming scandal has revealed.

"Deficiencies" and "patchy" training of front line staff were behind the failings, the Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board said in its review of child sexual exploitation.

It comes after nine men were jailed in May for grooming girls as young as 13.

Lawyers say the findings could support "legal action against social services".

The report - ordered in the aftermath of the grooming trial in Rochdale, Greater Manchester - reviews the work of local agencies, including the council, police and the Crown Prosecution Service between 2007 and 2012 in safeguarding children at risk of sexual exploitation.

Using feedback from 23 support staff, it charts the experience of one victim from 2007 to 2010.

Failed to act

“Start Quote

(Social services) failed to act on that information, even though they had a responsibility to do that - and that's the basis of any legal action we'll be putting forward”

Richard ScorerVictim's laywer

It reveals the girl spoke to support workers on several occasions about the abuse she was suffering - including giving a detailed complaint to detectives.

However, the report suggests some child protection services failed to act and the abuse continued.

It says: "While some organisations were consistently supportive in their response, overall child welfare organisations missed opportunities to provide a comprehensive, co-ordinated and timely response and, in addition, the criminal justice system missed opportunities to bring the perpetrators to justice."

It also reports that "activity to disrupt alleged offenders was developing on the ground, but this was not always followed through at a more senior level".

"The early investigations of crimes and the prosecution of alleged offenders were flawed."

The report also shows some officials believed vulnerable girls as young as 10 - who were being groomed for sexual abuse - were "making their own choices".

One of the girl's parents said they were simply told their teenage daughter was hanging out with a bad crowd, it says.

Richard Scorer of Pannone Solicitors, which represents one of the victims in the recent case, said he expected legal proceedings to follow: "There's clear evidence that social services failed to act, failed to intervene, when they had this mass of information, about this grooming and exploitation of young girls.

"They failed to act on that information, even though they had a responsibility to do that. And that's the basis of any legal action we'll be putting forward."

He added: "Obviously we need to... build up the detail of exactly what happened.

"But I think this report probably does give us a pretty firm basis for legal action against social services."

'Passed around' for sex

Lynne Jones, chair of the Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board, said the council had "responded" to the review and had "improvements" had already been put in place.

"I believe organisations are working better together, sharing information to ensure children are protected and that perpetrators of these crimes are prosecuted," she said.

"Raising awareness so that young people are better equipped to understand what is happening to them or their friends has been delivered to 10,000 young people."

She also said staff training had been improved and "stronger joint working" on police operations was helping to bring more perpetrators to justice.

In May, nine men who ran a child sexual exploitation ring in Rochdale were jailed.

They were given sentences ranging from four to 19 years at Liverpool Crown Court after being found guilty of offences including rape.

All were convicted of conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with girls under the age of 16.

The court heard the group plied five victims with drink and drugs and "passed them around" for sex.

The girls were abused at two takeaway restaurants in the Heywood area of Rochdale by the men aged between 24 and 59. The takeaways are now under new management.

One man later received a further term of 22 years on another 30 child rape charges.

It emerged during the trial the police and social services had missed opportunities to stop the abuse.

The prime purpose of the review will be to establish what further lessons can be learned to improve the way children are safeguarded.

Tuesday, 25 September 2012

BBC apology to Queen over Abu Hamza disclosure

Abu Hamza is well known in the UK for his sermons held in and around Finsbury Park mosque in London

The BBC has apologised for revealing the Queen raised concerns with the government about why radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri had not been arrested.

The apology comes after security correspondent Frank Gardner told BBC Radio 4 of a private conversation he had with the Queen some years ago.

The BBC said it and Gardner were sorry for the "breach of confidence", which both "deeply regret".

On Monday, Abu Hamza lost his latest appeal against extradition to the US.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled the extradition could go ahead. The Home Office hopes this can be achieved within three weeks.

The Strasbourg court's decision means that the cleric and four other terrorism suspects can face terrorism trials in the US after delays going back to the late 1990s. In the case of Abu Hamza, he was first arrested in 2004.

The development was being discussed on Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday morning when Gardner revealed details of his conversation with the Queen on the matter.

He said the monarch had told him, in a private meeting, how she had been upset that Abu Hamza could not be arrested.

Frank Gardner was appointed an OBE in 2005

The radical cleric had risen to prominence for his sermons in and around Finsbury Park mosque, which gained wide media attention for their content.

Gardner said the Queen had told him she had spoken to a former home secretary about the case.

In a statement, the BBC said: "This morning on the Today programme our correspondent Frank Gardner revealed details of a private conversation which took place some years ago with the Queen.

"The conversation should have remained private and the BBC and Frank deeply regret this breach of confidence. It was wholly inappropriate. Frank is extremely sorry for the embarrassment caused and has apologised to the Palace."

A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said it would "never comment on private conversations involving any member of the Royal Family".

Analysis

Rob WatsonUK political correspondent, BBC World Affairs Unit

What is so striking about learning that the Queen had concerns about Abu Hamza is that we so rarely learn the Queen's opinions about anything and certainly not anything of a political or legal nature.

As a constitutional monarch, the Queen is the head of state and that means strict political neutrality.

She does hold a weekly audience with the prime minister of the day, of whom there have been 12 during her reign, and retains what the Palace describes as the ability to express her views.

Those audiences and meetings with other ministers are treated by both royals and politicians alike as strictly confidential. But there have been rare exceptions, such as Tony Blair's references to the audiences in his memoirs.

Questions have long been asked about the influence the royals themselves have on government policy.

Prince Charles, in particular, is known to have strong views on issues ranging from architecture to wind farms and to have written to government ministers with advice on several occasions.

The Home Office also said it would not comment on such conversations.

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett said "categorically" that the Queen never raised the issue of Abu Hamza with him.

"Not surprisingly," he said, "because my views and attitude in relation to this individual were very well known."

Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said it showed "how deeply concerned" the Queen is for the "welfare of her subjects".

He told BBC News: "It's good that she has mentioned this to the home secretary and absolutely appropriate."

But campaign group Republic has accused the BBC of revealing details of the Queen's interest in the case to put her "on the right side of public opinion".

"The decision to disclose this one conversation while keeping all else secret smacks of a deliberate PR stunt to put the Queen on the right side of public opinion," the group said.

Abu Hamza and four other men accused of terrorism offences had fought against extradition for years, arguing at the European Court of Human Rights that they faced inhumane conditions in the US.

Abu Hamza is wanted over allegations he plotted to set up a terrorist training camp in the US and was involved in kidnapping Western hostages in Yemen. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment.

The case of Babar Ahmad - who, with co-accused Syed Talha Ahsan, is alleged to have run a jihadist website in London that provided support to terrorists - relates to a website run from London which, the US says, supported terrorism overseas.

Earlier this month, a businessman began the process of launching a private prosecution, saying that British suspects should be tried in the UK, not abroad.Supporters of the pair say they should have been prosecuted years ago in the UK because the alleged crimes were committed in London.

Karl Watkin said: "The principle is simple - if you are British, and alleged to have done something criminal in this country, then you get prosecuted in this country.

"That's how the public interest is served. Contrary to reports, my motivation for prosecuting these two men in Britain is to establish this principle."

Mr Ahmad's father, Ashfaq Ahmad, added: "Because any crimes he is supposed to have committed are in this country, Babar should be tried in a British court and he should get a chance to prove his innocence in front of our courts here."