Six reports into Rotherham child sex abuse scandal to be published today

Independent investigations have been conducted over the past three years into a series of issues relating to the town’s child sexual exploitation scandal, in which an estimated 1,400 victims were abused over a 16-year period — predominantly by men of a Pakistani-heritage background. 

Each of the reports will be discussed at a meeting at Rotherham Town Hall at 2pm and will be made public at the same time.

The first report will look at the conduct of senior council staff employed during the period covered by damning Jay Report.

Another report will deal with the 2011 theft of 21 laptops from council office Norfolk House — said to contain sensitive details about abuse victims — and a third with the theft of files belonging to researcher Adele Gladman from the offices of youth project Risky Business in 2002.

Investigators have also been looking into how minutes from the council’s Key Players’ Group went missing, and a review is being carried out of the cases of 15 abuse victims which were highlighted in Prof Alexis Jay’s 2014 report.

Another report is being compiled by law firm Weightmans, details of which have not been released.

Today’s meeting will be chaired by Lead Commissioner Mary Ney.

A council spokeswoman, who said all the reports were commissioned by the authority, added: “It is the council’s intention that these reports will be published in an open and transparent manner, as far as is possible and permissible by law.”

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