Campaigner to lead abuse investigation

THE CHIEF executive of children’s charity the NSPCC promised to do everything possible to shed light on the way the Home Office handled allegations of child abuse last night after he was asked to lead a review of the department’s actions.

By The Newsroom

Published 7th Jul 2014, 23:02 BST

Peter Wanless will consider whether a previous investigation into the way the Home Office dealt with historic abuse allegations was properly run and review a separate inquiry that concluded the department had not funded the Paedophile Information Exchange organisation during the 1970s and 1980s.

Home Secretary Theresa May announced the Wanless review yesterday alongside an inquiry whether public bodies have done enough to protect children.

Mr Wanless said: “It’s important to discover everything we can about what happened to these files, not only to help those who may have been victims of abuse many years ago but also to protect those children at risk now. The NSPCC is known for its independence and I will approach this review with the due diligence and dedication it warrants.”