Rotherham police ‘obstructed investigations’ into child sex abuse

One woman claimed a policeman called her a liar after she reported being abused aged 15.

Police said both cases had been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Two women told BBC Inside Out Yorkshire, broadcast tonight, that police obstructed investigations into their abuse.

Carol - not her real name - was living in a children’s home in the 1990s when she was taken on occasions by taxi to an Asian restaurant in the town. In one incident she was sexually assaulted.

She told the BBC: “I told the staff at the children’s home and my social worker and they said a police officer was going to to pick me up and take me to a unit.

“The officer that used to come to the children’s home (regularly), he came and picked me up in a police car.

“He took me to a lay-by; kept calling me a liar, saying he’d read my files and that I was a liar and no-one was going to believe me, it was more trouble than it was worth and he ripped my paperwork up.

“He dropped me back at an Indian restaurant...back with my abuser.”

In a statement, the Force said it was “now operating with a deeper understanding of child sexual exploitation. We are acutely aware of the grooming process and the dreadful impact it has on a child.

“Our staff are now better informed than ever and we are absolutely committed to achieving justice, stopping the harm and preventing future offending.”

Chief Constable David Crompton has asked the National Crime Agency to investigate matters relating to the Alexis Jay report into abuse in Rotherham, it said.

The Force has referred 15 people to the IPCC. “All allegations will be investigated and where there is evidence of any misconduct referrals will be made to the IPCC.”