Sources from The Independent confirm that Rotherham Council chief executive Martin Kimber has said that none of the child safety officers involved during the period of the Rotherham child abuse will face disciplinary action. The news was announced in an ’emotionally charged’ public cabinet meeting despite the growing anger over the scandal and the failures of the authorities involved.
Allegedly there is insufficient evidence to bring any single individual to justice or refer anyone to their professional bodies for misconduct or malpractice. Mr Kimber continues to back Joyce Thacker as the director of children’s services despite the evidence presented in the Jay Report, according to The Independent. Amid calls and protest for the entire council to resign, very few employees during the period of abuse have and will be questioned due to the nature of the ‘anonymity’ in the report.
The source goes on to report of a victim, aged 12 at the time, was arrested by the police who raided the home of the alleged abuser she was staying with. Despite her allegedly being found naked and despite the fact the alleged abuser she was with was already on the sex offenders register, no action or investigation was undertaken. Astonishingly the report states they just arrested her and left it at that!
Since the Jay report there have been cries from the masses that those who knew of the problems and failed to take action, or simply ignored the problem, ought to be brought to justice. The extent of the abuse which involved at least 1,400 victims aged as young as 11 involved grooming, trafficking, abduction, violence, intimidation, and rape. The abuse was allowed to go on and affect so many lives for more than 16 years.
A scandal of such magnitude simply cannot disappear without justice for the victims – this problem was ignored for more than a decade and a half and the results are painfully horrifying. The news that disciplinary action will not be taken may serve only as an injustice to those who were supposed to be under the care of authorities, but were left to suffer at the hands of organised and calculated predators.
