The appalling findings from a review of cases of child sexual exploitation in Oldham were revealed for the first time this week. Yet the political implications are already far-reaching, contributing to the dethronement of two council leaders in the coming years.
A review by experts Malcolm Newsham and Gary Ridgeway found that vulnerable children had failed despite efforts to protect them between 2011 and 2014.
A specific case dating back to 2005, involving Sophie, a 12-year-old girl who has been repeatedly raped, has been highlighted for intense criticism of the way authorities deal with investigating her attacks by strangers and for failing to take action when she was cut online.
READ MORE:Leaders acknowledge that the belief that children who are sexually exploited are “disturbing” is at the root of the authorities’ failure to protect them
Speaking at the time of the report’s publication, Oldham Council leader Amanda Chadarton said: “On behalf of the Oldham Council, I would like to apologize to all the victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) mentioned in this report. What happened to Sophie is completely unjustified.
“I read this report and I’m sure, like everyone else, I was horrified. She was not protected by the police and the council as a 12-year-old, but then to intensify this trauma and as an adult is absolutely appalling and I apologize wholeheartedly for that. “
In Sophie’s case, both Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Oldham’s council are said to be more concerned about their reputation and “covering up their failures” than acknowledging the damage done to the young girl.
However, when assessing allegations of widespread concealment of abuses in the area, the review team found “no evidence” to support this.
Oldham Council Leader Amanda Chaderton (Image: Vincent Cole – Manchester Evening News)
In fact, the duo said: “We concluded that no evidence was provided to us, either through our interviews or through a review of documents suggesting that senior managers or advisers were trying to cover up the existence of child sexual exploitation in Oldham or the complexity involved in dealing with the perpetrators. “
Speaking at Monday’s press conference, Malcolm Newsham said: “We obviously had in mind the allegations on social media, but we were determined that our report focused on the evidence of what happened during that period.
“We always followed where the evidence took us. We do not draw our conclusions lightly, and we are absolutely convinced that the claim that senior politicians are covering up both the existence of sexual exploitation of children and the complexity of dealing with it is unfounded.
“It’s possible to take one or two emails out of context and create a different story.” Still, social media posts claiming it was a political cover-up of the haircut are already casting a long shadow over the neighborhood. The lack of trust has fueled the rise of a new independent political group and cost key Labor seats.
The CSE review began in November 2019, after being commissioned by then-leader Sean Fielding in response to allegations made online.
Leaders believed that in this way they had nothing to lose and nothing to gain by nailing their commitment to transparency to the wall. Nevertheless, the launch of the review did not calm the noise of answers.
The meeting of the full council in November 2019 fell into chaos when the police were called to the hall. People sitting in the public gallery refused to leave before questions were heard about historical claims of protection, which led to a delay in proceedings twice.
Police at the full council meeting in Oldham
The controversy began when a resident, Debbie Barat-Cole, took the podium and began speaking after the deputy mayor announced the end of public speaking time. Then-Deputy Mayor Jenny Harrison suspended the meeting, but protesters continued to protest from the public gallery, refusing to leave until an answer was given.
The situation became so tense that GMP staff had to be called to the council chamber by council staff to talk to residents. In total, the meeting was delayed by an hour and 22 minutes as police and council officials dealt with the protesters.
However, they were allowed to remain in the council chamber, where they withdrew from public benches until the end of the full council.
Later, Barat-Cole continued to run in the local elections in May 2020 for the hyperlocal party “Proud of Oldham and Sedluworth”, which is formed mainly around the main issues of the development of the Green Belt and the opposition of Labor-led councils.
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During the second wave of the pandemic in November of that year, Sean Fielding clashed with Councilor Brian Hobin of the Falsworth Independent Party during a full council meeting that took place virtually. Mr. Fielding became Labor leader in 2018, at just 28, and represented the Failsworth West area after he was first elected in 2012.
Mr Fielding said angrily at the meeting that protesters had gathered in front of his home in Failsworth. The protest came when an update of the CSE report was being discussed.
At the same meeting, Count Hobin called for a new “independent” investigation, led by the Home Secretary and the Minister of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to undertake the review, which was supported by the Tory opposition group.
Fielding said at the meeting that protesters “tried to harass, intimidate and harass” his partner while she was alone in the house “with a megaphone across the street.”
Regarding the review, he added: “We asked for this review to be commissioned because it is absolutely vital that the council and our partners do their utmost to tackle the sexual exploitation of children, learn from the past and that our work today is as good as can be.”
This debate was one of several clashes over the terms of the review and the council’s cover-up allegations, which have so far begun to spread like wildfire online.
In May 2021, Fielding faced a “sharp” reaction during the election campaign, when restrictions on Covid-19 were lifted and activists were able to step out and talk to voters.
His interactions with his critics on social media, including the repeated mention of Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth by the acronym “POOS”, and the mood in the council chamber proved to be divisive among residents.
Sean Fielding turns to the full board (Image: Oldham’s board)
However, allegations of cover-up of child abuse, which are shared in local Facebook groups, are regularly raised by residents talking to activists before election day.
And in the early hours of May 6, 2021, the returning officer announced that Fielding had been defeated in his place in Failsworth West by retired police officer Mark Wilkinson of the Failsworth Independent Party (FIP).
In a statement issued after his loss, he said: “It is no secret that I was saddened by the tone of the campaign, both politically and personally.
The FIP also won another seat, with their candidate Neil Hindle conveniently ousting current Labor MP Liz Jacques in the Eastern District of Failsworth. Fielding’s shock defeat was the leading result in a bad night for the ruling party, with Labor losing five seats in the election and four stalled councilors removed.
Labor had hoped to stabilize the ship after the election, with deputy and cabinet member Aruj Shah elected by the party as the new leader. But Ms. Shah is already facing many of the problems Fielding has faced.
Earlier, she spoke of targeting misogyny and an “abuse campaign” during her stay in local politics. However, direct personal criticism of her intensified in the 18 months before she took the lead.
This revolves in part around broader theories of concealment of child abuse in Oldham. However, Shah was also singled out for her friendship with the notorious former criminal Mohammed Imran Ali – known as the “Irish Imi”.
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He was convicted in 2013 of aiding the notorious killer Dale Kregan by taking him to Leeds after his assassination of gang rival David Short in 2012. Photos of Ali and Shah were furiously shared on Facebook, and in late 2019 She gave an emotional address to the boardroom about the abuse she was receiving.
At the town hall meeting, it was said that Shah and the Irish Imi had been childhood friends since they were 11 years old. Shah said he knew her friendships and relationships would be “difficult for some people to accept,” but added that he could not “pretend they didn’t exist and I certainly can’t turn my back on people I know from childhood. “
“I would never approve of any action, neither what my brother did nor what my friend did,” said Shah, who was a member of the cabinet for social justice and communities at the time. “I do not deny people for political convenience or for the advancement of my political career.”
After becoming council leader in May 2021 – the first Muslim woman in the north of England to play a leading role in local government – Shah said: “I know people from all walks of life, but I believe so strongly in rehabilitation, so much strongly believing that these people did not choose to take the path they did, but the lack of opportunities pushes people to do so.
“But I’m not responsible for what other people do. I would like to be judged by my own standards, by my own behavior. ”
Former Council Leader Aruj Shah (Image: Joel Goodman)
However, her refusal to deny her childhood friend …
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