Children as young as nine were groomed, trafficked and raped by members of the town’s Pakistani community, but a desperation to avoid being labelled as racist meant councillors turned a blind eye to the appalling abuse for 16 years.
A damning report, written by former Victims’ Commissioner, Louise Casey, has laid bare the true extent of the council’s failings and accused those in charge of deliberately trying to cover up scandal and silence whistle-blowers.
Just minutes after the report’s findings were published the entire Labour Cabinet of Rotherham Council resigned and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles announced he was sending in Government Commissioners to run things until new elections could be held next year.
