Rochdale Council leader denies knowledge of abuse and accuses colleague of lying

The leader of Rochdale Council has dismissed claims he knew about allegations of child sexual abuse in the early 90s, insisting his colleague “is lying”.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is examining how the late MP Cyril Smith (pictured) and others were able to target youngsters at institutions in the town over several decades.

It has heard how serious allegations of sexual abuse involving children at Knowl View School were known about by senior officials within the council.

But Richard Farnell, who regained the position of Labour council leader in 2014 after a gap of 22 years, told the inquiry he was never informed of the scandal during his first stint in office between 1986 and 1992.

The inquiry heard how evidence about abuse at Knowl View mounted from September 1990, when a paedophile had been let in and sexually abused at least one boy.

By April 1991, Rochdale council was dealing with the sexual exploitation of Knowl View boys at the town’s Smith Street toilets as well as an “epidemic” of “peer on peer” abuse at the school, the inquiry heard.

Reports submitted in March 1991 and February 1992 contained details of allegations of boys as young as eight being targeted by men from as far afield as Sheffield.

Mr Farnell, who lost his council seat in the election on May 7 1992, told the inquiry: “I was not informed of events at Knowl View during my time as leader.”

But the inquiry heard Mr Farnell told a colleague in 2014 that he had seen a draft report containing allegations of sexual abuse before he left office.

A note of a meeting on June 11 that year made by Peter Joinson, the Labour group’s chief whip at the time, read: “At the end of the meeting I raised with the leader the issues of press articles that questioned his knowledge of the Knowl View abuse reports.”

The note, handed to police in October 2014, made reference to a report from a sexual health worker employed by the Rochdale health authority.

“As a consequence of that report the council was preparing a report, this was between approx March and June 1992,” it continued.

“Cllr Farnell said he had only seen a draft report and the full report wasn’t complete until June. By that time he had lost his council seat and ceased to be council leader.”

Mr Altman said Mr Joinson was questioned by police about the note in April 2016.

“He (Mr Joinson) said you told him there were allegations of sexual abuse in the draft report you had seen,” said the barrister.

Mr Farnell said: “No.”

Mr Altman continued: “So Mr Joinson completely and utterly invented the content of this meeting with you on June 11?”

“Absolutely, yes.” Mr Farnell replied. The council leader suggested Mr Joinson made up the content of the conversation as part of a “bitter election campaign”, which he described as a “civil war within the party”.

“Either he’s lying, or you’re lying,” said Mr Altman.

Mr Farnell replied: “It’s certainly my contention that he’s lying.”

He refused to take any personal responsibility for the suffering of boys at a school for which his council had responsibility, blaming council officers for failing to tell him.

“The council should accept responsibility for failings that happened in Knowl View, and individuals must take responsibilities for their own actions,” he said.

“I bitterly regret that the senior officers of the council never once approached me to brief me about these matters.”

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