An ex-judge who will chair the Telford child sexual exploitation inquiry has promised to do right by the victims.
Top QC Tom Crowther will lead the official probe after the Sunday Mirror revealed up to 1,000 girls could have been abused in the town over four decades.
Telford Wrekin Council commissioned the investigation in a major U-turn following our expose in March last year.
Mr Crowther, 49, said: “Throughout my career in criminal law I’ve seen attitudes changing to child sexual exploitation but there is still a great deal to be done and the most important part is hearing from survivors.
That will be at the core of what we do as we investigate, recognise mis-takes and learn from them, to ensure children’s voices will always be listened to.”
The Mirror first called for an inquiry in 2016 but 10 officials from the council and police wrote to the Home Office to say it wasn’t necessary.
The authorities caved in when we revealed abuse in the Shropshire town could be linked to five deaths – and that whistleblowers were punished by bosses.
Among other things, the Crowther Inquiry is expected to look at the cases of Lucy Lowe, 16, who died with her mum and sister in an arson attack, car accident victim Becky Watson, 13, and Vicky Round, 20, who died in a drugs incident.
