Lawyers’ costs soar after abuse scandal

Police and council face dozens of claims from victims

ROTHERHAM COUNCIL and South Yorkshire Police have so far paid more than £2m to solicitors defending compensation claims from victims of the town’s child sexual exploitation scandal – significantly more than the amount paid for settled claims to date.

The council has paid close to £1.2m and the police almost £1m to firms of solicitors defending 81 and 78 claims received respectively from victims who were exploited during a 16-year period of sustained and organised abuse by mainly Pakistani-heritage men in Rotherham.

Responding to Freedom of Information requests, the council said it had settled 12 claims by the beginning of October and a response this month from the police said it had settled 15 claims.

Neither would say how much had been paid in compensation but David Greenwood, the solicitor representing virtually all the victims, said the total paid by the council and police so far amounts to £662,000. The claims are typically brought simultaneously against both public bodies for failing to intervene and protect victims from abuse.

The council refused to provide the figure paid in legal fees for a year following a Freedom of Information request, claiming disclosure would hurt its commercial interests.

The authority eventually relented following a complaint to the Information Commissioner but declined to say how much it had paid in compensation on the grounds it is victims’ personal information and would potentially endanger their mental health if a figure became known.

South Yorkshire Police used similar arguments to refuse to disclose compensation payments.

Mr Greenwood said he accepted the council and police have a duty to check claims were justified and payments to lawyers will include work done on cases that may be settled in future.

But he added: “Knowing what I know about these cases I think they could have come to the table much earlier and negotiated settlements with us much earlier at much less cost to the public purse.”

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, who is responsible for the force’s budget, defended the level of spending. He said: “South Yorkshire Police and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council have a dual responsibility. On the

They could have come to the table and negotiated earlier. Solicitor David Greenwood.

one hand, they have a duty to properly compensate those who were failed by both organisations in the past. On the other hand, they have to ensure that these payments are fair to tax payers.”

The number of claims received represents only a fraction of the more than 1,500 victims the National Crime Agency believes to have been abused in Rotherham.

Rotherham Council said payments to its defence solicitors were £1,156,336 up to October 2.

A council spokesman said: “The council has been clear throughout that any and all child sexual exploitation survivors who are entitled to compensation should receive this.”

A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman told The

Yorkshire Post: “Since 2014, South Yorkshire Police has received a number of claims and we are continuing to work with the complainants and their legal representatives in respect of these.”