Cameron hits out at ‘truly dreadful case’

The sex grooming scandal that saw nine local men jailed was a “truly dreadful case” which must be investigated further, David Cameron said.

Speaking during Prime Minister’s Question Time Mr Cameron said: “There are particular problems in particular communities ... and we need to face up to these problems if we are going to deal with them.”

Mr Cameron said England’s Children Commissioner, Maggie Atkinson, would investigate the girls’ plight and he would consider launching a serious case review after calls from local MPs.

The PM added: “It is a truly shocking case and we need to look very carefully at what went wrong.

“We need to look at why information wasn’t passed more rapidly from children’s homes to police, why action wasn’t taken more rapidly. It’s very important we get to the bottom of a truly, truly, dreadful case.”

Mr Cameron praised Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk for raising the issue along with Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd who urged Mr Cameron to consider an inquiry into whether privately-run care homes were well funded with properly-trained staff, and demanded a better inspection regime.

Mr Danczuk said: “I want to speak about the girls in that case — the vulnerable girls who went to hell and back through what they experienced. I pay tribute to their bravery in coming forward and standing up to their abusers. They did it to get justice and to stop it happening to others.

“Vulnerable girls like that do not usually get heard by politicians. They do not get easy access to power or influence.”