Exposing the lies and half truths on Child exploitation
This deeply worrying headline is doing the rounds on social media networks including Twitter, what is being suggested here?
That the Rotherham child victims lied about being sexually abused?
That the Social Workers working with the abused children lied?
The parents of the child victims lied?
That national and local journalists covering the Rotherham abuse scandal lied?
Words fail me, a total disgrace.
Ralph Tipping
See also: Exposing the truth on child exploitation in Rotherham
Rotherham Politics 
To call it child exploitation, makes it sound pretty harmless, it’s not!
Grooming, rape, paedophilia and trafficking are a far more accurate expression to use.
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This headline is the title of a post on a recently formed blog http://rothbradpolitics.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/exposing-the-lies-and-half-truths-on-child-exploitation/
This is where the headline originated.
The blog is written by a Johnathan Simmons who also has a Twitter account in this name.
Having read some dubious comments and statements on there that purport to be ‘fact’ – some regarding maltbyblogger and rothpolitics – I have responded to these posts.
I do not intend to engage with the blog any further and have suggested that if the participants have anything to say about this blog or maltbyblogger that they do so direct.
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The blog written by Johnathan Simmons? Don’t make us laugh!!
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It would not be stretching the truth or credulity to discover RMBC behind this smokescreen.
Having failed to convince MP’s, the press and citizens of this borough of their innocence then posting on social networks is a very good way to spread disinformation.
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Simmons, a name so typical of Thornhill and Bradford, LOL!
You only have to look at the pejorative way the word Crusader is used to gain an insight into the rationale motivating the contributors.
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Johnathan Simmons @RothBradPol Twitter account is now ‘protected’ (as is Akhtar’s) Can anyone see the point in this ? Wouldn’t it be simpler just to phone each other up to congratulate each other on their dirty dealings?
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Lets not be foolish, they are one and the same! Jonathon Simmons my eye!
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I have replied to some of the rather pathetic points made on that weird blog site (since when have Rotherham and Bradford formed an axis? Is it a Respect thang?) – Have a nice day “Mah Fellow Right Wing Nutters!”
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On a related note, the Home Affairs Select Committee is meeting this afternoon at 3:30, where they will be calling Ann Cryer (former MP for Keighley) to give evidence re localised child grooming.
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I’m upset by this post think its wrong and a load of crap . my daughter didn’t lie and I didn’t lie the only people that lied was the police , social workers and the rest of the people who work with the girls by covering it up
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From Chris Longley MBE
This is a long entry, so I hope you will bear with me whilst I say what it contains. It bears directly on the truth of what happened in those darkest of days
The first part is about why and when I became interested in the Rotherham child abuse and rape cases. The second part about the role of the Home Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons.
1 WHY I BECAME INTERESTED IN THESE MATTERS
As some of you will know already, I have been trying to find a way of getting at the truth in such a way that those people who were in charge of child safety in Rotherham whilst these systematic cases of child abuse and rape were being committed. I have trying to do this since Councillor Shaun Wright was standing as a candidate to be elected as the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner job.
All through that Election, anonymous rumours reached the campaign team for Robert Teal that I was helping that Councillor Wright was in some way involved in the Rotherham cases. But whenever we pushed for evidence, none came. It is also a fact that Councillor Wright never answered questions on these matters during his whole PCC campaign. But the rumours did not stop after the Election results were declared. Then gradually it became clear that Councillor Wright had been in charge of safeguarding Rotherham’s children for half a decade whilst these terrible crimes against children in Rotherham were being committed.
Clearly what Councillor Wright knew, when did he know it and what did he do (or not do) about these matters is vital to understanding how the systematic abuse and rape of children in Rotherham could take place on such a vast scale, unimpeded and over so many years.
I know this is long, but bear with me and keep reading.
2 THE HOME AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS: WHY THEY ARE IMPORTANT
The Home Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons are now investigating these cases of child abuse and rape in Rotherham and other cities around the country. If necessary they can subpoena witnesses (force them to attend) and they can force witnesses to answer questions on Oath if they feel a witness may not be wholly forthcoming. If subsquently a witness is found to have lied on Oath before Parliament that is a very serious and criminal offence.
What is happening now in early 2013: before Christmas 2012 the Select Committee indicated to Andrew Norfolk (the journalist on The Times newspaper who has put much of what is known about these matters into the public domain) that they intended to call Councillor Shaun Wright to testify on these matters in Parliament.
I have made clear to the Select Committee that there is no point interviewing Councillor Wright until the Select Committee itself has copies (with no details blanked out) of every Agenda, Minute and Report that the Safeguarding Children Board received whilst Councillor Wright was Chair. Only in this way will they know what he was told, when he was told it, what statements did he approve and what did he decide should be done in these matters.
I understand from my correspondence with them that the Select Committee have indeed taken my point.They need to know exactly what he was told, what he decided and what did he instruct should be done before they talk with him.
I will keep this blog posted on developments. As soon as the Select Committee confirm to me that they have received all the necessary (and un blanked out) papers from RMBC about children’s safeguarding I will tell you all here at this blog.
Sorry again that this has been a long entry, but the devil will be in the detail ….
Kind regards
Chris Longley MBE
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WHEN DOES FAILURE TO COMPLY BECOME CONTEMPT OF PARLIAMENT?
From Chris Longley MBE
I have today written again to the Home Affairs Select Committee to ask whether RMBC officers have yet sent the Select Committee all the reports minutes and agendas, unredacted, that cover the period of time during which there was systemic abuse and rape of children in Rotherham. I had no reply to my previous enquiry because I suspect the documents have yet to be sent.
So I have also now posed the question “at what point does a failure to provide these documents as instructed by the Select Committee become Contempt of Parliament?.
The full text of my email follows:
“13 February 2013
Andy Boyd
Home Affairs Select Committee
House of Commons
Dear Mr Boyd
I wrote to you on 6 February 2013 in this matter and I have as yet no record of your reply. If I have missed it please forgive me.
So I write again to ask you if
“all the necessary reports, agendas and minutes of the Rotherham Safeguarding Children’s Board/Group for the period of Councillor Wrights Chairmanship have now been received by the Home Affairs Select Committee, following the Committee’s instruction to the RMBC paid officials that they were required.”
I am sure the records of all the necessary reports, agendas and minutes will be stored electronically and therefore easy and convenient to dispatch to you as instructed and as soon as any necessary agreement to their release by Councillor Paul Lakin as the current appropriate Chair has been obtained.
If RMBC has not yet sent these records, please tell me at what point that failure to comply becomes Contempt of Parliament.
It would be helpful to know.
I attach my earlier email (below in red) to help you.
Kind regards
Chris Longley MBE”
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Is the failure to provide the information part of the much wider culture within RMBC?
A well known elected member tweeting offensive comments to undermine confidence in those blighted by the sexual abuse scandal, calling individuals racist for speaking out about the crimes, the list goes on and on.
It’s all probably part of a well organized cover up.
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From Chris Longley MBE
I continue to urge the Home Affairs Select Committee, in late February 2013, to find out what was known and/or decided by officials and what was known and/or decided by elected members in these matters of systemic child abuse and rape.of Rotherham children over a half decade.
Below is a link to the list of written evidence so far submitted to the Home Affairs Select Committee.
Click to access 121016%20LCG%20written%20evidence.pdf
You will se that my evidence is item 20.
It is in the form of my letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee suggesting what evidence the Home Affairs Select Committee needs to obtain from RMBC so that the Committee can make those distinctions.
I wrote to the Home Affairs Select Committee last year in the wake of their December 2012 session at which RMBC officials were asked to provide the reports required by the Committee. You will recall that the RMBC officials said they would do so “if authorised” (in terms). I have told the Home Affairs Select Committee that Councillor Paul Lakin is now the responsible elected member who, as the appropriate current responsible Chair, can authorise the release of the reports etc.
The Committee does not yet list the reports as received, two months after the Committee made its request.
I therefore have asked the Home Affairs Select Committee at what point a lack of an action instructed by the Home Affairs Select Committee would constitute contempt of parliament. Their reply makes it very clear that the Home Affairs Select Committee know exactly what contempt of parliament is, which is very gratifying.
Readers of this blog are now as up to date in these matters as I am. You will also note that I persist in my view that Councillor Wright, the Chair of the Children’s Safeguarding Panel/Board through the half decade at issue, should not be interviewed about these issues at the same time as the current Chief Constable who played no part in these matters.
Kind regards to all
Chris Longley
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Thanks for keeping us updated on this most important issue Chris
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Many thanks Chris!
Fascinating evidence from S. Yorks police.
Impressive research by Missing People (a voluntary sector organisation).
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From Chris Longley MBE
Dear Rothpol
Thank you for your support. I and many others are grateful for your providing through Rothpol an uncensored outlet for news on matters such as those with which I have found myself dealing.
One way in which Rothpol itself could help would be to have this specific thread “Exposing the lies and half truths on Child exploitation” as one of your Masthead quick Links.
The issue needs to be kept front and centre in the Rotherham public eye, because some of the actors are clearly hoping that by ignoring it “it will go away”. We need to make sure that it never “goes away”, and the Select Committee gets the information needed to allow it to do its job of finding out where the responsibilities in these grave matters lies.
The evidence available in he public domain shows that countless young Rotherham girls were abused and raped, then either forgotten or regarded as “having made lifestyle Choices”, and sometimes even actively left in danger of repeated assault. But the public information does not yet tell us who decided what.
Somewhere in RMBC there are records of precisely who instructed such gross breaches of the duty of care owed by Rotherham MBC to the vulnerable children under its care across so many years.
So if this issue can find its way into permanent public prominence on your masthead, many of us will be very grateful. Those who perpetrated these matters would love the safety of quiet darkness to allow time to pass. They must never get it.
Kindest regards
Chris Longley MBE
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From Chris Longley MBE
Dear Rothpol
Thank you so much for acting so quickly.
I and many others will be so very grateful. You have given access to such a lot of information about these matters.
Kind regards
Chris
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Thanks for your comment, I try to respond to reader/commenters requests, when I can.
Rothpol
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From Chris Longley MBE
As readers of this blog will recall from my earlier entries, the Home Affairs Select Committee has asked RMBC officers (Kimber/Thackray) in open Committee session to provide reports about the actions of the Rotherham Safeguarding Children’s Board during the times that there was systemic abuse and rape of children in Rotherham.
I attach below the text of my email dated 5 March 2013 (today) to the Home Affairs Select Committee in this regard:
“5 March 2013
From Chris Longley MBE
Andy Boyd
Home Affairs Select Committee
House of Commons
Dear Mr Boyd
I wrote to you on 13 February 2013 in this matter.
I write again today to ask you whether all the necessary reports, agendas and minutes of the Rotherham Safeguarding Children’s Board/Group for the period at least of Councillor Wrights Chairmanship have now been received by the Home Affairs Select Committee, following the Committee’s instruction to the RMBC paid officials that they were required.
I remain sure the records of all the necessary reports, agendas and minutes will be stored electronically and therefore easy and convenient to dispatch to you as instructed and as soon as any necessary agreement to their release by Councillor Paul Lakin as the current appropriate Chair has been obtained.
If RMBC has not yet sent these records, please tell me what action the Committee is taking to obtain them.
I note the list of written evidence received by your Committee has not changed since mid-January 2013.
Kind regards
Chris Longley MBE”
My email ENDS.
I will inform readers of this blog of the reply I receive.
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Reblogged this on Rotherham Politics.
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Interesting but fairly transparent set-up and response by the Bard of Masbrough in the RothBrad blog.
“Exposing the lies and half truths on Child exploitation”
My understanding is that the Bard has been asked to refrain from getting over excited about rothpol and your good self. Also he is not the relevant portfolio holder for all matters grooming, hence not supposed to speak or write publicly on this matter.
He couldn’t possibly have generated the question himself by proxy:? Then maybe asked an officer to write the response, justifying it as responding to a question relating to his role as a councillor? I can’t believe the Bard could use such a crude and sly device to get around Labour Group and Cabinet policy on allocated spokespeople?
I say “maybe the report was written by an officer” not because I have no faith in his English, indeed some of his language shows a remarkable understanding and fluidity in the fruitier aspects of Chaucer’s own lingua.
It is the dryness that suggests the dead hand of a council official.
With regard to the article in RothBrad like a lot of Council stuff on this subject it poses as many questions as it answers
For example the Bard states;
“In the last few years, there have been four cases where we had concerns relating to a child safeguarding or sexual exploitation matter. All four drivers had urgent action taken against them to prevent them acting as taxi drivers.”
The questions are who, why,, when and what for?
There is also an interesting phrase used , that I am worried may have all the hallmarks of Council officer deliberate obtuseness. It goes…
” None of these individuals now operate as taxi drivers in Rotherham.”
In the case of barred taxi drivers, how do we know that they are not working elsewhere, for example in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley or even Bradford?
So another question is, are Rotherham working with other taxi licensing authorities to share information and ensure that banned drivers are not able to find taxi driving work elsewhere?
WileWart (pronounce it as you must)
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From Chris Longley MBE
I have today, 19 March 2013, written to the Home Affairs Committee again, and I have reminded them that I first wrote to them in the matter of Councillor Wright and the safeguarding of children in Rotherham on 3 December 2013. I write today as follows:
“Andy Boyd
Home Affairs Select Committee
House of Commons
Dear Mr Boyd
I have been checking my records in the matter of Councillor Shaun Wright and the release by Rotherham Metropolitan District Council of the Minutes et al of the Rotherham Children’s Safeguarding Board etc.
In my records is a copy of the letter that I wrote to Keith Vaz MP, Chair of the Home Affairs Committee on 3 December 2012 on this matter (and others including Hillsborough) and I enclose below the relevant extract from that letter to your Chair.
You will see therefore that I suggested as long ago as last December that the records would give vital evidence about Councillor Wright’s tenure:
“2.2 Rotherham Child Abuse
So that the Committee are clear about his responsibilities in this matter, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council confirm to me that Councillor Shaun Wright became Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council on 20th May 2005.
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council also confirms to me that being re-appointed by the Council annually in May, Councillor Wright performed that role for an unbroken period of time until 21st May 2010. I have the emails that say this.
For the avoidance of all doubt therefore, Councillor Wright was in charge of safeguarding children throughout Rotherham between 20 May 2005 and 21 May 2010 continuously.
Others sources will tell you about the timing, nature and effectiveness of the activities of Rotherham Borough Council in relation to systematic gang-based child abuse during the time of Councillor Wright’s chairmanship, and which are firmly in the public domain.
However, there is nothing in the public record about “what Councillor Wright knew, when did he know it and what did he do as Chair?” about these disgraceful activities and the damage that the gangs involved did to so many children and those family, friends and carers who tried individually to protect these children.
In particular it would be instructive to know what written, verbal or other guidance he received on these matters from any Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council officers who presumably advised the Panel and the Safeguarding Board of which Councillor Wright was Chair.
Clearly the more specific are Councillor Wright’s answers to these matters also, the more help they will be to the Committee.
For example, if the maintenance of “community relations” was indeed more important than the safety of all the children who were being abused systematically, no doubt there will be a record that shows this and who gave such an instruction or signified the pursuit of such an approach.
Let us hope the necessary records have not been redacted so they can still in 2012 be of assistance to Councillor Wright when he comes before the Committee. If full records are so confidential that they must remain out of the public gaze, no doubt the Committee could meet in camera to examine and discuss them.”
In addition, since the January 2013 session of the Home Affairs Committee at which the Rotherham MBC officers (Kimber/Thackray) gave evidence and at which you asked them to provide the Minutes of the relevant Committees, I have written to ask whether those records have arrived. From the information about received written evidence on the Committee’s website, it appears that the required evidence has still not arrived.
So unless something changes, it seems that the evidence requested by the Committee will not appear now before Easter 2013.
I wonder, therefore, at what point will the patience of the Committee with Rotherham MBC be exhausted? Or can witnesses ignore the requirements of the Home Affairs Committee without consequence.
Kind regards
Chris Longley MBE”
ENDS
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From Chris Longley MBE
Here is what I understand to be the latest information about the Home Affairs Select Committee investigation into systemic child sexual abuse, rape and trafficking.
The website of the Home Affairs Committee says that their Report into these dreadful matters is in preparation but gives no date for publication. The events in Rotherham are a part of their investigations. No doubt the Rotherham events will figure in the Report when it is published.
The following link will take readers of this blog to the written evidence pages of the Home Affairs Committee.
Click to access 121016%20LCG%20written%20evidence.pdf
Readers will see that items 23 and 24/24a are submitted by Shaun Wright Police and Crime Commissioner of South Yorkshire and by Martin Kimber the Chief Executive of Rotherham MBC. I believe these to be recent additions.
Readers who are aware of the crimes committed against young children in Rotherham over an extended period will form their own views of the content of these submissions when they have read them.
What is however very clear is that the Home Affairs Committee have not listed as evidence any of the minutes, agendas or reports submitted to the Rotherham Children’s Safeguarding Board during 2005/6 to 2009/2010. I presume this means that the Committee did not receive them, despite a direct instruction in public from the Chair of the Committee – the Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP – to Martin Kimber and Ms Joyce Thackray of RMBC at their oral evidence session to provide them.
I await with interest what the Committee decides to do in the light of their Chair’s instruction being ignored.
There presumably is therefore no timeline available to the Committee that can show what Councillor Wright knew, when he knew it, what advice he received or what decisions he took during that period when he was in the Safeguarding Board.
As a matter of interest I remain unaware of any occasion on which ex-Councillor Wright has told anyone in public the answers to these questions I list above. If anyone is aware, and has a credible record of what he said, I would be grateful if that record could be shared in the public domain. You will gather I am none the wiser as a result of reading either ex-Councillor Wrights letter or those from Martin KImber in his role as CExec of RMBC.
I have therefore applied to Rotherham MBC for these Rotherham Safeguarding Board documents to be made available to me as any member of the public may do. RMBC have twenty days to reply to me. I am told my request has been referred to the wonderfully named “Information Governance Team”.
I await their reply with great interest and I will inform this blog of the outcome.
Kind regards
Chris Longley MBE
PS I have written also in the stongest terms to the Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP pointing out that his Committee has not recorded that it has received information it instructed should be provided by witnesses. I again ask myself at what point does non co-operation become contempt.
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