Wales child abuse: Expert should lead inquiry

Correction 10 November 2012: The BBC has apologised unreservedly for broadcasting a report on Newsnight on 2 November over allegations of child abuse which transpired to have involved a case of mistaken identity. As a result the video of the original report has been removed from the website. More details can be found here

The Prime Minister has ordered an urgent investigation into the handling of claims of child abuse at care homes in north Wales in the 1970s and 80s.

Steve Messham, who says he was abused by a senior Conservative politician of the time, said the inquiry uncovered only a fraction of the abuse.

He said it was important that there was an investigation into how the police handled the original reports of abuse, but that it should be conducted outside police force.

Messham also said he believed the investigation should be headed by an expert, and that, unlike the Waterhouse inquiry, a judge is not appointed.