The appalling findings of a review into cases of child sexual exploitation in Oldham have been revealed for the first time this week. Yet the political ramifications have already been far-reaching, contributing to the dethroning of two council leaders in successive years.
The review, carried out by experts Malcolm Newsam and Gary Ridgway, found that vulnerable children had been failed despite efforts to protect them between 2011 and 2014.
A specific case dating back to 2005 involving ‘Sophie’, a 12-year-old girl who was repeatedly raped, is singled out for intense criticism for the way authorities dealt with the investigation into her assaults by strangers, and for the failure to take action when she was being groomed online.
