Tomorrow mornings Times, carries another excellent Andrew Norfolk Expose.
Child sex town grooming scandal exposed
A child in the care of social services was allowed extensive daily contact with a violent adult offender who was suspected of grooming more than a dozen young teenagers to use and sell for sex, it is revealed today. Police and social services held detailed intelligence about the activities of Arshid Hussain, who twice made the girl pregnant, yet he has never been prosecuted for a child-sex offence. Among those who became aware of the relationship was a local politician, related to the offender, who is now the deputy leader of a Labour-run council and vice-chairman of a police scrutiny body. Mr Jahangir Akhtar said last week that he was… Read on…
Rotherham Politics 
Is the House of Cards tumbling down?
Can the Council still avoid an enquiry, and the Police a case review?. You can bet they will try, but this trickle of insight will turn into cascade.
Here is their problem. There are victims out there who are getting older and more mature, more capable of giving evidence and demanding justice. More facts will come out and there are potentially hundreds of victims.
It will only take one or two to prove that SYP or the Council failed in their duty of care and Bang, the trickle of complaints will become a river.
Rumours are flying around.
Can the Labour Group trust their colleagues, Akhtar has always denied any knowledge, yet it seems he must have known something at least about this case. His involvement demands an enquiry by the Labour Party into his membership.
His statement begs more questions than it answer – others seem to think that Husssain’s activities and tendencies were relatively well known. At what stage in the relationship did Akhtar know of Hussains involvement with a 14 year old? Did he contact Social Service or the Police and if so is there a record? How close was he to Hussain? Did he know about the relationship but thought it was OK until he heard about the grooming?
Did the Police and/or Social Services know of Akhtar’s relationship to Hussain? Was Hussain punished in any way or was he simply allowed to go about his way?
I sense a FOI Request coming on.
If the latter, what does Akhtar think about it and why wasn’t he demanding a prosecution? The list of questions is getting longer.
Remember Akhtar is the man who two years later received 130 hours of Community Service for violence, or to be clear beating up an innocent person. Something for which he has never apologised publicly.
This is the man who the Labour Group elected Deputy Leader, and who then became our Towns representative on the SY Police scrutiny committee and then its chairman.
The people of Rotherham deserve straight answer, as Rotheram Council, SYP and the Labour Group are, through their inaction turning our Town into Shame City UK.
Maybe the next Council Leader should be Jeremy Kyle?
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Cllr Akhtar should be suspended by the Labour Group while a full investigation is carried out.
His response begs more questions than it answers; his lack of robust action speaks volumes about his integrity and character.
This man is no longer fit to hold any public office.
The Chief Executive of RMBC at the time was Mark Edgell, now a Non-Executive Director at Rotherham hospital, what did he know or do?
Roger get a grip and suspend Akhtar.
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Anonymous you say this man is no longer fit to hold any public office. He never was fit to hold public office! After his conviction for affray he was found by the council’s standards board to have brought the council into disrepute, but all they could do was censure him. At that time Councillor Jim Wright from Maltby threatened a member of the public in front of witnesses – no violence just a threat! He admitted what he had done was wrong and had the principles to resign from the council. Contrast that with Asbo’s behaviour he played a leading role in kicking and punching totally innocent people into needing hospital treatment, yet he refused to resign and did his community service as a Rotherham councillor! He has no principles whatsoever and should certainly not be on Rotherham Council!
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From Chris Longley MBE
Dear Rothpol
The contributions of Andrew Norfolk in today’s Times (23 August 2013) demand action from the Home Affairs Committee.
The written responses that Messrs Kimber and Thacker made to the Home Affairs Committee earlier this year avoided shedding any light on these grave issues of systemic child trafficking, child rape and sexual abuse that were clearly known to many in authority in Rotherham and with a duty of care for vulnerable children.
These evasions cannot be allowed to stand.
Nor can the evasions of the then Rotherham Councillor Shaun Wright, now the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire, be allowed to stand unchallenged because Councillor Wright was the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Children for half a decade whilst these grave systemic assaults on underage children across his Borough were being perpetrated.
Shaun Wright now has responsibility for the safety of every child in South Yorkshire, but he has never accounted for what he knew, when he knew it and what he instructed to be done about these grave matters of child rape, trafficking and abuse.
These evasions cannot be allowed to stand either.
The Home Affairs Committee will be derelict if they do not now summon him to give evidence before them in public on these matters.
Chris Longley MBE
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I am interested to see the response of The Deputy Leader of Rotherham Council in the light of these disturbing developments. Will he resign from his Council seat and his role in advising the SYP Commissioner? If not, what will be the response of RMBC’s Council Leader, Rotherham’s MP and the SYP Commissioner himself?
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Thank goodness for The Times. Whilst most institutions are content to “tut tut” over these failings and forget about them – the Labour Party and the Home Affairs Select Committee among others – only The Times has continued to work tirelessly for the full facts and for justice for these children.
Every revelation is more distressing than the one before and I am sure there is much still to be brought into the light over this matter. News that some of the victims are suing the Council means that, finally, those who failed these children must face the most intense scrutiny of their action and inaction. For me, this is as important as putting the abusers themselves before the courts. There will always be evil criminals and child rapists, sadly, but those public servants who aid and abet them, knowingly or otherwise, are just as culpable.
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From Chris Longley
Gillian Radcliffe
Dear Gillian
It is good to see your comments here on Andrew’s work.
Via Rothpol’s good offices I would be very so grateful for your help if you are able to give it.
Kindest regards
Chris
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Will Akhtar resign?
Not a chance.
Will Stone send him packing the back benches?
No,
Will the Labour group suspend him?
No?
Will Sarah Champion demand an investigation into his role?
No.
Will children still be at risk in Rotherham?
Yes.
What did he know, when did he know and what did he do with the information?
A clerical error, the same as Stone with his clerical error!
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And – Thank goodness for the part Rothpol is playing in bringing these investigations to our attention.
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This was a collective effort, too many to thank individually. Bur thanks for your thought though.
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Surely this warrants a Police investigation. If our PCC and council leaders have nothing to hide then what have they to fear? Obviously, using an outside police force since even the role of our own police force seems under scrutiny. The most important thing is that justice must be the priority for the children and their families who have been so badly let down!
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After reading the article by Andrew Norfolk, the only question I have is are the Rotherham public prepared to act upon such atrocities or as I am ashamed to say will WE continue to be apathetic to it. I have a 5 year old daughter and the thought of her growing up in a town that allows this to happen sickens me. We as the people of rotherham, surely, must force the issue of serious repercussions.
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Thanks Anon – I am pretty sure I knew those answers already but it will be educational to see how Labour, SYP and RMBC spin this…
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RMBC and the Deputy Leader are guilty of a cover up, obfuscation and ineptitude combined with gross mismanagement of childrens welfare. These young people were denied the protection they should have been offered and it is to be hoped that Arshid Hussain will be prosecuted and the CPS will also implicate Jahangir Akhtar over his role in covering up, and knowledge of,this sordid affair.
Shaun Wright, Sarah Champion and Roger Stone are also all complicit in dragging Rotherham through even muddier waters. Can we expect resignations and apologies? Don’t hold your breath.
Congrats to Andrew Norfolk and Rothpol for publishing this story and bringing it to a wider audience.
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