Sir Cyril Smith's & his victims at Knowl View

DESPITE last week's suggestions by the police that they had 'only ever had one complaint to the Greater Manchester Police' about the late Sir Cyril Smith and his abuse of boys, the police are now saying that ten people are being investigated over historical allegations of sexual abuse at Knowl View, a residential school in Rochdale, where it is claimed Cyril Smith abused lads.  Today's Manchester Evening News, says:  'Three complaints of physical and sexual abuse of pupils at a school linked to the late Sir Cyril Smith are now being investigated by police.'

Detective Inspector Caroline Ward has said:
'Following the publicity surrounding Sir Cyril Smith last year, a small number of people came forward to report physical and sexual abuse which occurred at Knowl View from the 1970s onwards....  The allegations we have received are building up a picture of the regime that was in place at Knowl View at that time, and I would encourage anyone who was a victim of either sexual or physical abuse to come forward and speak to the police as the more evidence we have the better the chances of bringing abusers to justice.'

Knowl View was residential school, for pupils with behavioural difficulties, and was shut down in 1994 after a dossier detailing abuse was handed to the police.  These files do not name Smith specifically, but a whistleblower and former head of care at Knowl View, Martin Digan, has said that he believed Sir Cyril was among those abusing the lads at the home.  The Manchester Evening News has recently claimed that the files show that at least a quarter of the 48 lads at the school had been victims of horrific sexual abuse - including lads as young as eight.

The Rochdale MP, Simon Danczuk has said:
'I am pleased that the police are putting more effort into investigating these horrific crimes.  I wrote to Sir Peter Fahy, the chief constable, some months ago urging him to look at this case.  There are not many crimes worse than taking away a child's childhood...  There is no doubt about it.  There was organised abuse at Knowl View.  It should have been investigated.  Some people raised concerns about it many years ago and for whatever reason, no action was taken.'

It seems that a week is a long time in the realm of police investigations into sexual abuse.