Fresh in from Wil Ewart:
The Times article at no point suggested that Akhtar had committed a criminal offence. If there was a clear implication it was about his getting involved to secure the release without prosecution of his relative.
That is despite the fact that his relative was clearly breaking the law by having a sexual relationship with a minor, one who had been taken into care; that he had taken her away from a safe environment without telling the authorities where and without their approval.
The spin that we will see over the next few weeks is that his primary purpose was to save the girl with a secondary interest in his relative.
There are some big flaws in this spin. The primary one being that the Police arrested the victim and let the perpetrator go free. Akhtar knew about this, and maybe even was party to negotiating the freedom deal.
Where does that leave him in terms of his refusal over many years to admit or confirm that child sexual abusers had been protected by the authorities, when he himself was a witness to it happening?
This case illustrates that Akhtar, Council and the Police have seriously misled on one key issue.
They denied a policy or practice of non-prosecution for some child sexual abuse offenders. That these unofficial pardons occurred when children were considered to be complicit in their own abuse.
The Times reported case is the crack which lets in the light, and while Akhtar can spin his motivations with impunity, he can no longer deny that he knew what was going on. The crack may turn into a crevice.
When the Rotherham Council Labour Group voted on whether or not they should promote a national enquiry into child sex grooming it was rejected. Which way did Akhtar vote, I wonder?
It is time for the Labour Party to act, as they have clear rules about bringing the Party into disrepute. There only difficulty is do they look at Akhtar or the whole of the Labour Group who have undertaken a complete cover up on this issue.
The NEC will no doubt say they will wait until the results of the Police enquiry, Even though the enquiry will probably not be into the actual sensitive issue.
Someone must refer this to the Labout Party NEC on the issue of disrepute.
Wil
Rotherham Politics 
It will take a lot more than ‘spin’ to get him rehabilitated!
Thanks to those readers who have already contacted me with their insights as to Akhtar’s true nature and character! Please keep them coming!
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Don’t forget the other forgotten victim in this sorry saga – the wife of this guy who was running around with “Jessica”. He was married at the time
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To me there are three elements that appear to be complicit in this disgraceful episode!
The politicians, the council officers and the police!
We surely owe it to the victims, who have started legal proceedings against the council, and to those who have yet to find the courage to come forward.
To demand the full measure of justice for them and to make sure that this nightmare comes to an end, in Rotherham, at least!
In addition, has anyone thought that this, is one of those cases where the IPCC should be involved?
Anyone any advice to offer?
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In the words of somebody I’ve spoken to today “if they ever thoroughly investigate Rotherham it’ll make Donny gate look like a walk in the park”
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I understand that it is ONLY the IPCC who have the power to investigate the activities of the Police and Crime Commissioner, therefore I believe the whole matter should be referred to them.
The comment by RMBC insider is absolutely correct, I have been saying this for years and I believe the only reason there has been no investigation is the cost in police resources. If we had half a government at the moment, they would be prepared to fund a full, independent enquiry!
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The issues that need addressing is why the police failed to arrest Ash and prosecute him, he raped a child?
As he been arrested yet?
What vested interests were being protected?
Who was and still is being protected?
Why did RMBC fail to address the systematic abuse of children for over 14 years?
Why did each and every RMBC elected member fail to act and protect vulnerable children?
Akhtar knew first-hand about the abuse of this child, why has he kept silent for all of this time?
We need answers and we need individuals removed from office.
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Disgusting hypocracy from Cllr Wyatt suggests he is trying to position himself as the next Leader, Now that Akhtar is wounded he will be building his case to replace the failed Dodger.
However the hypocracy of a man who has never muttered a public word about the victims of grooming in Rotherham now has the audacity to tweet:
“To protect children from abuse, ministers need to challenge those who blame the victims – Ken Wyat ” and then link to a feature in the New Statesman.
This hypocracy stinks, as I am sure we will continue to point ouy. Ken, do something in Rotherham or drowned in the ordure that is going to descend on Rotheham LP Group and Cabinet.
Ken, I remind readers, is a Council Cabinet member. He will therefore also attend the Leaders Pre-Cabinet meetings.
These meetings are un-minuted i.e. nobody else gets to know what was said. Outside of private meetings they are for the highest level of Councillor gathering and are there to decide what will be agreed at the following days public Cabinet meeting.
It is where disagreements are aired so that the following days public meeting can appear harmonious. Remember citizens of Rotherham you never get to see a genuine debate at the Council. It’s all fixed in advance
It is where their tactics as to how to “handle” the Child Grooming Scandal will have been agreed and probably their response to that of the UKIP Foster Parent scandal.
So Ken, with your newly found, one might almost say born again, rush of awareness and compassion for the vicitims of child sex grooming….Please tell us.
what did you say in those meetings?
Ken may well say he was tied by the Labour Whip, that citizens is the agreement between Labour Councillors that they will always toe the agreed Party line. If they break the whip then punishment may follow. In worst cases they may lose the Party’s support.at election time.
But I ask the good people of Rotherham, if you thought one child might be saved from abuse or one extra perpetrator caught if you spoke out, would the fear of being told off and reprimanded by the Labour Party stop you.
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This whole affair becomes more incredulous by the minute. There doesn’t appear to be an ounce of regret, shame or willingness to own up to wrong doing, by any of those involved. Passing the blame on to someone else is about the only thing Rotherham Council and it’s sorry excuse for a Police and Crime Commissioner seem able to do well.
Thanks to Rothpol. Wil Ewart and all the contributors on here who surely, soon, will see their work and determinedness to bring the wrong doers to account come to fruition.
Maltbyblogger reblogs rothpol for the benefit of those who might not otherwise be aware of the ongoing situation.
I am in the process of re-writing to my MP Kevin Barron and to Cllrs Rushforth, Beaumont and Godfrey on the matter and shall pass on any information gained – though I feel that this is very unlikely to happen.
(Regarding Wyatt on Twitter, the article is also doing the rounds via Sarah Champion MP but her response so far is non existant)
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Reblogged this on maltbyblogger and commented:
This whole affair becomes more incredulous by the minute. There doesn’t appear to be an ounce of regret, shame or willingness to own up to wrong doing, by any of those involved. Passing the blame on to someone else is about the only thing Rotherham Council and it’s sorry excuse for a Police and Crime Commissioner seem able to do well.
Thanks to Rothpol. Wil Ewart and all the contributors on here who surely, soon, will see their work and determinedness to bring the wrong doers to account come to fruition.
Maltbyblogger reblogs rothpol for the benefit of those who might not otherwise be aware of the ongoing situation.
I am in the process of re-writing to my MP Kevin Barron and to Cllrs Rushforth, Beaumont and Godfrey on the matter and shall pass on any information gained – though I feel that this is very unlikely to happen.
(Regarding Wyatt on Twitter, the article is also doing the rounds via Sarah Champion MP but her response so far is non existant)
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The Labour Party is usually like a rat up a drain pipe whenever Lord Ahmed has been accused of bringing the party in to disrepute … its tardy behaviour with regards these latest allegations about a senior member of the Rotherham Labour Party is in one way stunning but also very revealing on how serious it regards the issue of CSE.
Check out the tweets of the ‘prominent’ council members of the Rotherham CLP who have not even acknowledged Andrew Norfolk’s latest award-winning investigations into the issue of CSE. Do they really believe by ignoring the grooming scandal it will go away? Time to think of the young victims instead of your political careers.
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If Ken Wyatt is so concerned, did he ever move a motion in Labour Group to hold a full investigation into the child sex grooming? Or for that matter, did any other group member move a motion to that effect and if so, did he back them up and support them?
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Dont be silly.
Ken is an opportunist.
Like rest of the group they lack personal
conviction or principles.
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Or I might add, Intelligence!
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Yes, the Rotherham labour group did vote on sending this matter to a national inquiry. Surprise surprise, it was overwhelmingly rejected…..
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The party should investigate and suspend those accused from holding the whip.
Lets not forget how local parties have been suspended.
Why the double standards?
It says a lot what the party think about electorrate and these poor victims of sexual abuse by sexual deviants.
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One of the reasons both the CLP and Labour party NEC have failed to respond to the crisis in Rotherham is simply because neither of them have any idea or understanding of just what is happening. One of Labour’s strongholds is under fire and generating masses of negative publicity and their puppet PCC is showing himself to be as much use as an handbrake on a canoe.
Miliband has got enough problems holding his shadow cabinet together and trying to show us he’s PM material without this scandal landing in his in-tray.
Unless and until Miliband clearly and publicly backs calls for an independent investigation into RMBC and the (mis) behaviour of individual Labour councillors he’ll be in even deeper do-do’s.
Miliband, Barron and Champion. The Sound of Silence.
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There is another way.
Email
miliband, healey and barron.
Email mick dugger Mp
who is vice chair of party responsible for image and discipline
For good measue copy onto here or to the times to moniter prigress
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“Email
miliband, healey and barron.”
‘Dear MP.
Now that RMBC Is mired in a web of corruption and scandal with no plans to open a formal enquiry or release any information to the electorate will you call for an EDM so this matter is debated in the HoC and ask for the resignation of all RMBC councillors and the appointment of an independent enquiry?’
The idea of an email to Miliband, Healey, Champion and Barron has as much merit as Brown telling us he had ended Boom and Bust.
A proactive MP would not wait until his inbox was starting to fill up, he/she should lead from the front and show initiative by asking the same questions as us; What went wrong, who is responsible and what are you going to do about it?
Don’t hold your breath.
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Advertiser website yesterday still leading with the story of Rodney the returning parrot!
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anon – how quaint for you to make the suggestion of emailing our MPs 🙂
Of course we all should do it but there’s a limit to how much time anyone can spend emailing, without response.
The positive side to this us that we have a record if how many times we gave been ignored.
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I find it unfathomable that councillors in hull, southampton and liverpool have all been suspended or removed from the labour party for speaking out against cuts in their areas (all are now working with TUSC). Yet in Rotherham our entire council appears complcit in the sexual abuse of children over 14 years without so much as a murmer from the NEC. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the stalinist labour party.
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If my information is correct all Labour councillors in Rotherham are forbidden (In Britain? In 2013?) from responding to any posts on blogs or to any letters published which criticises the Labour party/RMBC/Akhtar or any of the other Labour party misfits.
Hence we have the spectacle of Cllrs.Judy Dalton and Ken Wyatt and MP John Healey twittering about inconsequential matters or criticising the coalition government (which they are of course allowed to do) but not a word about the sheer scale of incompetence and corruption which is engulfing RMBC. Shame on you.
Myself and rothpol, to name but two are not on the Labour party’s Christmas card list.
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