Historical Sexual Abuse Claims In Coventry Under Investigation
The chief constable of West Midlands police, Chris Sims, has revealed that police officers in Coventry are currently investigating a case of historical sexual abuse.Speaking at a meeting with the region’s new crime commissioner, David Jamieson, he said the case has similarities with those recently in the news in Rotherham, Rochdale, St Helens and Bradford.
Mr Jamieson has now asked for a thorough report concerning the scale of child sexual exploitation cases in the region, which he plans to share with the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel when they are completed.
He said: “Over Rotherham I have been asking some searching questions of the police. If we pretended there are no problems in the West Midlands we would not be telling the truth.
“I want to be as open as possible because one of the major issues in Rotherham was that things were not open. People were not discussing publicly things that they should have done, so I will be doing just that.”
Chief constable Sims took steps to reassure the commissioner that the procedures in place to handle historic sexual crime allegations are of the highest standard.
He added that officers will be working with local authorities in the region to ensure all relevant bodies play a role in the debate surrounding ways of dealing with historic abuse issues.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of child abuse, our expert child abuse lawyers will provide you with free initial advice on your compensation claim. Call 0370 150 100 to talk confidentially to someone about making a claim or visit our Abuse & Criminal Injury Claims page for more information.
Expert Opinion
Further allegations of historic sexual abuse of this nature are extremely worrying. We welcome the actions of Mr Jamieson in asking questions about sexual abuse in the region and requesting full-scale reports on the issue. <br/> <br/>"It is vital officers in the West Midlands continue their investigations into these matters and that, where necessary, action is taken to ensure anyone found to be responsible for failures that resulted in the abuse of children are held to account. <br/> <br/>“We would also hope to see measures introduced to ensure the same failings cannot be repeated so the safety of vulnerable youngsters in the region is protected.” Luke Daniels - Partner