Cyril Smith

To anyone who might have managed to post in a reasonably pleasant way, I would say yes, I think a cover up should be investigated. But quietly. Without bringing more victims to our television screens.

Not sure how you can empathise without looking at a situation from a personal point of view.

Never mind.

1) nobody is bringing your dgc into it jingl, you were asked to put yourself into the position of how you would feel IF. That's empathy not personal.
2) that there has been a cover up is becoming more and more apparent. Even David Steel for whom I have had a lot of time in the past, was trying to wriggle and squirm on Radio 4 yesterday. * No one* can be outside the law and it is shameful how often ranks have closed around the abusers.

CS was a dirty fat old man who preyed on youngsters, it must have been so very awful for them, and will not be forgotten by them !
Sexual abuse never is !

Quite for them really

Yes. I found Iam's post of 13.13 chilling.

The victims may have been 'acknowledged as telling the truth' (have they?) but the people who knew or even suspected what was going on in Rochdale bear a heavy responsibility which they should be made to recognise publicly. They know who they are.

Well, I'm not too keen on your attitude to the victims. That's my opinion.

I accept that nothing I say will change your mind Jingle.

But, the point being made by most responders to your post is that the way in which the police investigation was stopped has to be investigated. If not, it's inevitable it will happen again, and no doubt is happening right now. Not by CS of course, but by others who share his sexual preferences and sense of entitlement.

It has been acknowledged, the victims have been recognised as telling the truth. Where else can it go?

It's a sad thing that happened in the past.

And yes, I know you will all say "but if it isn't gone over and over, again and again now, it will happen again." No, not necessarily. It has been dealt with. He has been "outed". Enough now. IMO.

I think it is very sad if you can't post an opinion on Gransnet without your grandchildren being brought into the conversation. It's happened to me before on here, and I don't like it.

If you, dear poster, cannot see that then I am really surprised. Or perhaps not.

I was truly shocked when the stories about Cyril Smith first emerged. When I was at school, at the Rochdale High School for Girls, we were very fond of "our Cyril", he attended lots of school functions, where two chairs were always reserved for him in the middle of the front row.

Why shouldn't we view these cases from a "personal" perspective? *People" were affected, lives blighted or even wrecked and it would be morally wrong in every possible way to distance ourselves from such abuse. "For as much as ye harm ....." Each and every parent and grandparent among us should feel the same revulsion. Justice must be done and be seen to be done.

I don't think the Cyril Smith case is quite the same, Tricia.

Jings - I'm inclined to agree with you, to let it go. Not that I liked JS, he was always a right creep.
But also, remember all those pop groups of the 60s and 70s who had young girls, probably many under age, just dying to come to their hotel room or whatever after the concerts. I think some of them have written about it in their memoirs.

Gill57 I did n't say "just" as in "just let it go. It should be dealt with of course. But the press seem to delight in going over and over these things.

Lona I think it is in very bad taste to get personal like that. Sorry, but I do.

'Milking it' ....'Let it go'..... 'Grudge' ....I beg your pardon?

Why not add....a fuss about nothing....water under the bridge....let bygones be bygones......?

I am truly astonished that anyone could seek to minimise the impact of this disgusting individual and his criminal behaviour.

Would you 'let it go' jings if he'd done it to your ds or dgs?

jingsYou said " just think enough is enough" apologies if I quoted you out of context, but your view seemed to be that we should all let this go because he is dead? For once the newspapers may get it right if they dig about and expose not only CS but the people who covered it up. see post by Iam64 which I think is the basis of the new investigation.

I did n't say "just" Gill57.

I am the OP Iam I mean that anyone who has any kind of a grudge against him is perhaps using this to put the boot in.And the newspapers are, of course, loving iI

What does the OP mean by "milking it". As others have pointed out, the boys he abused are alive and still waiting for their experiences to be acknowledged.

The boys abused by Cyril Smith were believed by experienced police officers. I know this as I'm related to one of the police team involved. The group who investigated him in the late 60's early 70's, remained very upset that what they saw as a good investigation, with "reliable" witnesses was closed down. They were in absolutely no doubt that sexual and physical abuse was perpetrated by CS against boys. The police team were told that a decision had been taken "high up". They strongly believed by M15 /security services that it wasn't in the public interest to prosecute. That's what happened in Lancashire and Greater Manchester. I don't know what happened to prevent prosecution in other force areas, including the occasion when his car was searched, and child pornography found.

Whenim64 is absolutely right to say we owe it to children growing up now to protect them from sexual predators. That's why a proper investigation into the original investigation, along with identifying the "shadowy figures' referred to by the CID officers I knew, who put a stop on what the police believed would be a successful prosecution of CS.

I think the problem is that some of these people (Jimmy Saville in particularly) were put on a pedestal meaning that anyone making any kind of allegation against them would not be believed, or even worse (as Gill57 said) condemned as malicious liars.

I also agree with annsixty they should have all titles removed.

If it makes just one potential abuser think twice then its all worth it.

As has been said the children were not believed before which is why he was able to get away with it, as with Jimmy Saville. Can you imagine what it must have been like for them to grow up knowing this awful thing had happened to them and not feeling they could tell anyone because they thought they would not be believed. It must have scarred them and now, because of the investigation, they are bravely coming forward to tell their stories.

It is being 'prolonged' because (a) the victims will finally be believed after often being condemned as fantasists or malicious liars, and (b) because there is a strong possibility that many people of authority, local authority, liberal party, etc., knew what was going on and covered it up. so no, I dont think we should just let it go.

Men who are still relatively young were harmed by Cyril Smith as young children in care, and not believed. They told the authorities and people who are still in office covered it up. Up to 11 new suspects are now being investigated. If this isn't dealt with, how safe are children now? We owe it to children growing up now to protect them from sexual predators.