Knowl View inquiry: Police identify new suspects

Date published: 28 April 2014

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable, Sir Peter Fahy, has announced that the scope of the ongoing investigation by GMP into alleged abuse at Knowl View School will be widened to examine whether there is evidence to justify opening a criminal investigation. 

Answering questions at a press conference held this morning (Monday 28 April) at Rochdale Town Hall, Chief Constable Fahy said police have identified "a number of suspects" as part of an investigation into alleged abuse at the school, linked to the late MP Cyril Smith.

He added more alleged victims had come forward over claims about abuse at the school from the 1970s.

The allegations related to at least 11 potential suspects.

GMP Chief Constable, Sir Peter Fahy addresses a press conference at Rochdale Town Hall

Chief Constable Fahy said: "Greater Manchester Police has previously launched an investigation into complaints of abuse at Knowl View.

"A number of new victims have recently come forward and we are looking to identify new suspects.

"As a result of the publication of the book [Simon Danczuk's book about the double life of the late Cyril Smith], and the subsequent press coverage, we are now reviewing whether there is evidence to justify us opening a criminal investigation into any previous allegations which were not pursued.

"We note the announcement of the inquiry by the independent QC, announced by Rochdale Borough Council [see below]. We will liaise with the QC to make sure that this inquiry does not compromise the abuse investigation and to receive any material relating to our criminal investigation.

"Our review will be carried out by experienced officers from our Serious Crime Division. It is in the nature of sex abuse investigations that it takes considerable time to gather evidence from people who have been very damaged from the experience and clearly this is more difficult when matters occurred many years ago.

"We are now appealing for anyone who has information in relation that can assist either investigation - the complaints of historic abuse or a possible cover up - to contact Greater Manchester Police."

Council inquiry to be widened

Rochdale Council Leader, Colin Lambert announced that Rochdale Council is widening its inquiry into allegations of sexual and physical abuse of children at Knowl View School.

Council Leader, Colin Lambert addresses a press conference at Rochdale Town Hall

Councillor Lambert said:  "The Council announced its formal investigation into the Council's decision making in relation to Knowl View back in January 2014. We instructed Andrew Warnock QC to carry out this review. Considerable progress has been made in terms of collating and analysing documentation and identifying potential witnesses.

"However, in the light of the serious allegations made in the last few weeks, we have decided, in consultation with Mr Warnock, that we now need to widen the scope of the review beyond the Council's decision making. It is clear that to ensure there is public confidence in the thoroughness of the review we must widen its scope to include a review of all information available to the Council. We will therefore need to allocate substantially more resources and more time to enable a thorough review to be conducted. Of course any evidence obtained which is relevant to allegations of criminal activity will be forwarded to Greater Manchester Police.

"In the light of the scale of the enlarged review, we have decided to instruct external solicitors Hempsons and to second one of the Council's Principal Solicitors to assist the review team. Due to other commitments Mr Warnock is unavailable for the timescale which this widened investigation will require. We have therefore appointed Neil Granham QC to head the expanded review. Mr Garnham is a leading silk in public inquiry law, acted as Counsel to the Victoria Climbie Inquiry and sits as a deputy High Court Judge.

"It is Mr Garnham's intention to provide his report by the end of July 2014. The report may be final or interim depending on th conclusions he is able to reach. We have asked Mr Garnham to liaise with Greater Manchester Police to ensure that his review does not compromise any element of the current investigations being pursued by the police.

"The Council will publish Mr Garnham's report as soon as possible after he delivers it to us.

"The Independent Review Team will include Neil Garnham QC, Alastair Henderson and Lois Williams, counsel, Principal Solicitor Katherine Sheldrick of Hempsons Solicitors Manchester.

"The Council will have no role in the conduct of the review beyond the supply of documents and will not comment further until the report is published.

"Some interviews may be carried out with key witnesses but that will be a matter for decision by the review team.

The terms of reference of the independent review to be headed by Neil Garnham QC:

1. You are to conduct an independent review of all information available to the Council (both information that it presently holds and, so far as it can be ascertained, information it has previously held), which suggests that, during the period 1961-1995, sexual or physical abuse of children took place:

a) at premises owned, managed or operated by the Council; and/or
b) which involved pupils (or residents under the age of 18) attending establishments funded by the Council; and/or for which council officers or employees were responsible; and/or
d) for which councillors were responsible; and/or
e) for which school governors, appointed by the Council, were responsible.

2) You will seek to idenitfy whether there was a pattern to such abuse, whether the abuse of children was tolerated, facilitated or promoted by the Council or its officers or staff, and whether there was a culture at the Council which inhibited the proper investigation, exposure and prevention of such abuse.

3) Your review will include allegations that are currently the subject of existing civil claims against

4) The focus of your review will be events occurring between 1961 and 1995. However, if your review reveals a pattern of abuse, or an attitude towards abuse, which existed in 1995 and continued thereafter, you will include that in your consideration.

5) If your investigations reveal evidence of criminal activity which has not to date led to convictions, you are not yourself to investigate whether offences occurred, nor are you to purport to determine any criminal liability. Instead you are to refer such information to the Greater monarchist Police. You will consider, however, the Council's knowledge of, and response to, such evidence, whether criminal convictions followed or not. Where such evidence indicated the potential commission of disciplinary (rather than criminal) offences, you will include that in your consideration.

6) You are to provide a written report on your review by 31 July 2014 or as soon as possible thereafter. That report may be a final report, if you are able to reach conclusions on the issues identified above. Alternatively it can be an interim report if you conclude that further investigation is required after your review is completed or if Greater Manchester Police indicate to you that a full report might compromise police investigations. You may make such recommendations as you believe are appropriate.

Representatives from local and national media at the press conference at Rochdale Town Hall

Rochdale Council was warned in 1991, in a report written by an AIDS specialist from Rochdale Health Authority, of "sexual activity" at the school that most people, including parents of boys at the school, "would be horrified were these facts to be made known".

The report about the school, that Cyril Smith helped to establish, went to the then directors of education and social services at Rochdale Council.

Martin Digan, a care worker at Knowl View, tried to blow the whistle about the abuse. He had just become acting head of care at the residential school for boys with learning difficulties and behavioural problems.

Mr Digan said he had often complained that Smith kept using his own set of keys to access the school.

Last year, the Crown Prosecution Service admitted Smith should have been prosecuted for abusing young boys in the 1960s.

It was alleged he raped boys at Knowl View and abused boys at Cambridge House Children's Home.

He had a long association with Knowl View where he was on the board of management when he was a councillor.

Smith was originally a Labour councillor in Rochdale and later a Liberal then Liberal Democrat MP for the town from 1972 to 1992. He died in 2010 aged 82.

Rochdale Council Press Conference - review into allegations of child abuse announced
©Rochdale Online