Sex abuse probe has 1 433 suspects

LONDON: British police investigating allegations of historical child sex abuse said more than 1 400 people had been named as suspects including 261 described as “people of public prominence”, among them dozens of politicians and TV stars.

Child abuse scandals over the past few years have prompted the government to launch a major public inquiry, and detectives to establish an overarching investigation of allegations of historical crimes by those in powerful positions.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the officer leading the inquiry, said 1 433 people were being investigated, of whom 216 were now dead.

The suspects included 135 figures from TV, film or radio, 76 politicians, 43 from the music industry and seven from the sporting world.

“This investigation is massive, and a testimony to how the attitude to victims is changing,” said Sheila Taylor of the National Working Group Network, a charity that tackles child sexual exploitation.

The issue of child abuse came to widespread prominence in 2012 when the late BBC TV presenter Jimmy Savile was shown to have abused hundreds of victims.

Since then, other household names have been convicted, allegations have been made against a number of former or deceased politicians, and detectives are also looking into claims that powerful figures forced police to drop inquiries into paedophile rings involving high-profile people.

Bailey said 666 of the offenders being investigated were alleged to have carried out abuse at institutions including schools, children’s homes, and religious institutions. – Reuters