Rotherham grooming: Solicitor criticises police watchdog's 'zero accountability'

No police officers lost their jobs over the handling of the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal

The police watchdog has delivered "zero accountability" in its investigation into child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Rotherham, a solicitor has said.

David Greenwood, who represents survivors of the abuse, said the system was "against those who complain".

His comments came after a former detective was cleared of not following-up tip-offs about grooming gangs.

South Yorkshire Police said the force's failings were "systemic" and did not rest with individual officers.

Former Det Sgt David Walker, of South Yorkshire Police, was the last of 47 police officers to be investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over their handling of historic allegations of child sex abuse in Rotherham.

On Thursday, a misconduct panel dismissed the allegations against him, finding that Mr Walker had acted appropriately with any information and had not taken any action which fell below the expected practice at the time.

David Walker, pictured here in 2010, worked for South Yorkshire Police in Maltby

The officer's actions were considered in the wake of the Jay Report, the 2014 inquiry that found at least 1,400 girls were subjected to sexual exploitation between 1997 and 2013.

The report also accused South Yorkshire Police of failing to prioritise the issue.

The IOPC found eight officers had a case to answer for misconduct and six for gross misconduct, five of whom have since faced sanctions. To date no officers have lost their jobs or faced criminal charges.

Mr Walker, who was based in Maltby, was accused by Rotherham youth worker Jayne Senior of ignoring key information sent to him in emails.

She said intelligence was passed on to South Yorkshire Police, but claimed it was ignored and the general attitude of the force was "shut up and go away".

Following the dismissal of the allegations against Mr Walker, Mr Greenwood said: "It's extremely disappointing that despite the best efforts of the brave women I represent, the police discipline system has delivered zero accountability.

"The system seems to be stacked against those who complain," he said.

"South Yorkshire Police had already lost the trust of survivors of exploitation and I doubt whether their trust will ever be regained following this system failure."

Jayne Senior was a key figure in exposing the extent of child sexual abuse taking place in Rotherham

South Yorkshire Police's Deputy Chief Constable Tim Forber said it was "without dispute" that South Yorkshire Police's handling of CSE before 2015 "did not demonstrate the necessary understanding, care and professionalism that it does today".

He added: "As an organisation, we fell considerably short of the required standards and this impacted the children we had a duty to serve. That said, it is firmly my belief that the failings were systemic.

"The responsibility does not sit with individual officers. This is supported by the findings today and those of the only other case to stem from this inquiry."

The clearing of Mr Walker, who retired in 2018, marked the end of the planned actions against South Yorkshire Police officers over CSE.

A full report on the findings of the IOPC's investigation is expected to be published next month.

IOPC director of major investigations Steve Noonan said: "Our priority remains the welfare of the survivors who took the difficult decision to come forward.

"They have shown a great deal of bravery both prior to and throughout our investigations. We must be respectful of the experiences they have gone through."