Carer held in sexual grooming inquiry

A SOCIAL-CARE worker has been arrested by police investigating sexual grooming of vulnerable youngsters by gangs of men.

The suspect, in his 40s, is employed by Manchester City Council’s Children’s Social Care department.

Greater Manchester Police said he was suspended after his arrest on suspicion of sexual activity with a child when in a position of trust and misconduct in a public office.

The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation after the publication in January of a damning report into how the force handled child sexual exploitation of vulnerable girls by gangs operating “in plain sight” of police and city council officials.

The publication prompted the force to reinvestigate dozens of reports of grooming, issue a public apology and refer itself to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The report concluded that authorities knew a group of vulnerable girls, many in care, were being abused but did not protect them from the perpetrators, disproportionately Asian men.

Concerns over race relations were also cited in the report as a matter of concern for senior police when tackling grooming gangs.

Operation Augusta, a major police investigation into grooming gangs in Manchester, was dropped in 2005 but a review was launched in 2018.

Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain said this operation remained a “top priority” and the force would try to support all victims and work to try to bring offenders to justice.