The top stories in Sheffield and South Yorkshire so far today include: 

• South Yorkshire police badly let down victims of child sexual exploitation, a new independent report suggests
• A rapist who forced two female walkers to have sex with him by threatening a group of children is given a life sentence
• A farmer from South Yorkshire says he feels sickened after six of his lambs were shot and killed

Owain Wyn Evans
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

It'll be a cloudy afternoon to come across South Yorkshire.

A weak weather front will spread eastwards later, introducing a few patches of rain but it'll remain dry for most.

There'll be light to moderate westerly winds, and highs of about 10C (50F).

As we leave coverage of Professor John Drew's critical report into South Yorkshire Police's handling of child sexual exploitation to turn to other news from across Sheffield and South Yorkshire, here's a recap of what we now know:

• The force's handling of child sexual exploitation was "inadequate" and the force "regularly missed" opportunities, the report claims
• Senior officers ignored reports of abuse in favour of pursuing other crimes
• A top-down culture meant "little value" was attached to information from grassroots officers
• South Yorkshire's Chief Constable has welcomed the report, external, but says there's more to be done
• The county's Police and Crime Commissioner is "reassured" the force is in a "different place"
• Delays in police watchdog IPCC's probe into force are criticised, though IPCC says investigation is of "highest priority"

Following the publication of his review of South Yorkshire Police's handling of child sexual abuse, Professor John Drew says the force must work to convince victims of abuse of the progress it's made.

Speaking at a media conference, he said: "Survivors of abuse and their families are more cautious about these changes, so satisfying these groups must remain the ultimate objective of this force.

"This force has more to do to convince these people, many of whom have been very, very badly let down in the past."

An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation into South Yorkshire Police must conclude before the force can really move forward, Rotherham Labour MP Sarah Champion has said.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield Ms Champion said she was "more than frustrated" at the delays highlighted in Professor John Drew's review of the force's handling of child sexual exploitation which has been published today.

She said: "We need reassurance things have moved on. The Drew Report is great, it's trying to draw a line under what's gone on in the past and look forward. But for me, until the IPCC acts, until we know if there are any rotten apples, or we remove the allegation from those officers trying to do a good job we can't go forward."

A victim of child sexual exploitation has spoken to the BBC about the abuse she suffered and how she says South Yorkshire Police failed to follow up on her case.

Professor John Drew's review of South Yorkshire Police's handling of child sexual exploitation has found referrals have more than doubled since 2013, from 437 to 911:

The number of offences identified include 194 of rape and attempted rape, 151 of causing or inciting sexual activity and 135 of sexual activity with a child.

Professor Drew said the conversion of referrals into identified offences illustrates the scale of the challenge facing South Yorkshire Police and its partners in combating child sexual exploitation.

The woman who ran Sheffield's Sexual Exploitation Service, a branch of Sheffield City Council's Social Services Department, for 15 years is one of the few people praised in Professor John Drew's newly-published report into South Yorkshire Police's handling of child sexual exploitation.

Professor Drew's report praises her "personal drive and resilience" in trying to explain to the force the threat being faced and trying to get officers to engage with the issue.

Speaking to the BBC this morning, she says: "What's good in the report is there's been an acknowledgement that senior officers in South Yorkshire Police didn't see exploitation as a priority. And it is commented on in the report that their priorities were burglary and car crime. 

"It also shows, I think, that senior officers are still maintaining they didn't know the nature and scale of the sexual exploitation across South Yorkshire. But the report clearly says that if they didn't know they should've known."

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has defended itself against criticism over delays in its investigation in to South Yorkshire Police.

Professor John Drew's new report into the forces handling of child sexual exploitation says the slow progress made by the IPCC is having a "harmful impact" on officers and victims alike.

The IPCC, which is looking into more than 200 complaints against more than 60 officers, says the investigation has the "highest priority" within the organisation.

Rachel Cerfontyne, the IPCC's deputy chair, says: "The public demand - and the victims deserve - a rigorous and thorough investigation into the police response. We will be analysing Professor Drew's report with interest to see if it identifies any matters we're not already aware of and which may require investigation. 

"These are complex investigations and we are keen to conclude our work as quickly as we can, but we also recognise that we are dealing with a significant number of complainants and police officers, and allegations relating to events that spanned a number of years."

Mark Ansell
Reporter, BBC Look North

South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner has given his reaction to today's publication of Professor John Drew's review of how South Yorkshire Police handled child sexual exploitation.

Doctor Alan Billings says he is "reassured" that South Yorkshire Police is now in "a very different place".

Doctor Billings was speaking at a media conference following the publication of Professor Drew's critical review.

A review of South Yorkshire Police's handling of child sexual exploitation, whose findings have been published today, cost approximately £60,000 and heard evidence from about 150 people:

Here's what we've learned from Professor John Drew's independent review of South Yorkshire Police's handling of child sexual exploitation which has been published today:

• Police response was "inadequate" and opportunities were "regularly missed" 
• Senior officers showed a lack of "professional curiosity" and prioritised other crimes
• Report makes 11 recommendations for improvement
• Police watchdog criticised for delays in investigation
• South Yorkshire's Chief Constable "welcomes" report, external

At the end of his review of South Yorkshire Police's handling of child sexual abuse, Professor John Drew makes 11 recommendations to help the force build on its "determined progress since 2013".

Professor Drew says: "In the main, the task for the police now is to maintain that trajectory of advance, particularly in its attempts to get contact with victims and survivors right first time.

"However, I believe there are some refinements that could be made that would enable the force to build on this improvement."

Professor John Drew's critical report of South Yorkshire Police's handling of child sexual exploitation, which has been published today, criticises the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) for its slow progress in investigating the force.

Professor Drew (pictured) says delays in the IPCC investigation, which is not due to be completed before 2017 "at the earliest", have the potential to "breed cynicism in the public that the police cannot be held to account".

He says: "I cannot emphasise too strongly the harmful impact that this is having on victims and survivors, on police officers and staff, and on public confidence in policing."

Michael Buchanan
Social Affairs Correspondent, BBC News

Today's report by Professor John Drew gives us a damning insight into why South Yorkshire Police failed repeatedly to act on the intelligence pouring into force.

Image source, Google

The callous attitude that senior officers displayed towards the young victims is extraordinary.

Faced with allegations that children were being drugged, raped, abused and trafficked, they decided to do nothing. 

What today's report describes as "a lack of professional curiosity" was more simply put to me by one former officer as "they ignored it". 

Rotherham Labour MP Sarah Champion says she believes South Yorkshire Police's handling of child sexual exploitation, which has been criticised in a new report by Professor John Drew, still requires improvement.

Speaking a short time ago on BBC Radio Sheffield, Ms Champion said: "The report says protection for children from sexual abuse is adequate, but for me adequate still requires a big improvement.

"We have to recognise however that we were starting from a low base, so South Yorkshire Police have come a long, long way from where they were. But it still saddens me that children for decades were not getting the support that they needed."

Professor John Drew's newly-published report says South Yorkshire Police's slow response to child sexual exploitation was in part a result of a "lack of professional curiosity" and the "distorting impact of national priorities".

Image source, Getty Images

He found the force was more concerned with dealing with burglary, robbery and car crime, and said the officers working during the 2000s said a "top down organisational culture" meant little value was attached to information coming from "the grassroots of policing".

Professor Drew's report says former Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, Meredydd Hughes, who ran the force from 2004 to 2011, had disputed the suggestion, though Professor Drew says he believes he was "alone" in that view.

A victim of child sexual exploitation in Sheffield has called for police officers to face prosecution saying South Yorkshire Police "did not care" she was being abused.

The woman, now in her 20s, was abused for three years from the age of 13. She's told the BBC that police officers knew "everything" but failed to act.

Her call comes on the day Professor John Drew's report is published which says the South Yorkshire force's handling of child sexual exploitation (CSE) was "inadequate".

Asked about the claims, South Yorkshire Police said tackling child sexual exploitation was an "absolute priority".

South Yorkshire Police says there's "more work to do" to combat child sexual exploitation in the region but highlight a number of recent successes.

Responding to Professor John Drew's critical report of the force which has been published today, Chief Constable David Crompton says that since August 2014 more than 120 people have been charged with offences relating to child sex abuse and resources had been "heavily focused" on the issue.

Mr Crompton says: "We note the report’s recommendations and accept that there is more to be done. 

"Alongside the Police and Crime Commissioner, our partner agencies and forces across the country, we will identify best practise and continue our commitment to protect children from sexual exploitation and harm."

South Yorkshire Police has responded to Professor John Drew's newly-published report on the force's handling of child sexual exploitation, with Chief Constable David Crompton (pictured) saying he welcomes its findings.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Mr Crompton says: "We welcome Professor Drew’s report today and I'm pleased it recognises a huge amount of effort has gone into ensuring that we deal with the mistakes of the past and learn the lessons.

"I want to stress that tackling child sexual exploitation is an absolute priority for South Yorkshire Police, a finding that Professor Drew makes clear in his report."