BBC reveal paedophile advised Home Office on residential childcare policy

The BBC has revealed that a convicted paedophile at the centre of the forthcoming historical abuse inquiry, advised the Home Office on changes to children’s residential care.

The broadcaster said, Peter Righton (pictured), who was a founding member of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE), gave “considerable assistance” as an expert in child care to a government report in 1970.

An investigation by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, revealed Mr Righton, who died in 2007, “was authored by a Home Office advisory committee and set out how hundreds of new homes should be brought under local authority control.”

The report credited Righton, who at the time was an academic specialising in social work, for “considerable” help in the training of residential workers.

A former care professional, who did not want to be named, told the programme that Righton travelled extensively carrying out research work and had been to children’s homes “all over the country”.

“He [used to] go and interview, in approved schools, individual boys and he certainly went to speak to the heads of homes. He was a very dangerous man because he was put in a position where he could abuse trust.” the former care worker said.

The former worker said that Righton had claimed that he “took boys out” and had also said he used “sexual” language with them.

By the mid-1970s, Righton had become a founding member of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) which advocated sexual relationships between adults and children.

He was a former director of education at the National Institute for Social Work, and a consultant for the National Children’s Bureau.

In 1992, Righton was fined £900 for possessing images of child abuse and was cautioned over an earlier assault.