Not do my mum?

receive intelligence about girls being sexually assaulted from 1997 – around the time Lucy met Mehmood. In the months before she died, three files were passed to senior officers involving allegations 24 girls as young as 11 were being gang-raped and sold for sex, but no action was taken.

There was also no evidence that vital child protection procedures were followed by the council in Lucy’s case. Mr Crowther said “a formal assessment of Lucy could have been transformative in this case”. Damningly, he added: “Professionals were sympathetic to Lucy’s parents, but do not appear to be concerned for, or supportive of, Lucy.”

Tasnim said: “The report shows there were many, many times the police or council could have done something. Everything was so obvious. It was right in front of them, and people chose to look away.”

Along with a raft of professionals, Tasnim praised the Sunday Mirror investigation.

“I’m so thankful,” she said. “I have found out so much and it’s given me so much closure.

“If it wasn’t for the Sunday Mirror, I’d have no answers or found out the truth.”

The retired officer who led the probe into the deaths of the Lowe family – DCI Clive Harding – refused to give evidence to the inquiry and did not respond to our

requests for comment.