No charges for ex-police chief over Rotherham child abuse scandal perjury claims

Former South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Shaun Wright will not face any charges in relation to an allegation he lied to MPs about his knowledge of the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on Friday it has decided not make a referral to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) after an investigation.

The IOPC inquiry followed allegations by two complainants that Mr Wright had committed perjury when he gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) in September 2014 as he appeared before MPs to answer questions.

Mr Wright, who was PCC at the time, was asked by the committee about his knowledge of allegations of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Rotherham in the wake of the 2014 Jay Report, which laid bare how more than 1,400 children were victims of the abuse in the town between 1997 and 2013.

He was at the centre of a political storm in the aftermath of the report as he had been cabinet member for children’s services at Rotherham Council between 2005 and 2010.

Mr Wright eventually resigned from his PCC position.

The IOPC said its investigation included a thorough review of the transcripts of the committee and included interviews with Mr Wright and a “key independent witness”.

It also said it reviewed documents concerning CSE in the town that Mr Wright was alleged to have received during his time at the council.

Sarah Green, the IOPC’s regional director, who oversaw this investigation, said: “We have now concluded our detailed investigation into the very serious allegation that Shaun Wright committed perjury when he gave evidence to HASC in 2014.

“I have given this matter very careful consideration and, on the basis of the evidence we have gathered, I have determined that the report does not indicate that a criminal offence may have been committed.

“Therefore, we will not refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider whether any criminal charges should be brought.

“We have now published our findings in full.”

According to the IOPC report, Mr Wright told the MPs that he could not recall speaking with survivors or victims of CSE about their experiences during his time as cabinet member for Children’s Services.

He also stated that he received only four reports in relation to CSE while a cabinet member, none of which highlighted the extent of CSE in Rotherham at the time.

The report said the former PCC was interviewed under caution in April 2018 and he read a prepared statement. It said he exercised his right not to answer any further questions.

It said: “Mr Wright also explained that he did not, and still does not recall, speaking with a victim of CSE about their abuse.

“He also denied lying under oath.”

The report said that the first complainant claimed that they witnessed Mr Wright speaking with survivors of CSE at a barbecue for Risky Business – an outreach group in Rotherham which has been widely praised for identifying the problems in the town but which was largely sidelined at the time.

This person also said they prepared two reports, one requested by Mr Wright, which detailed the work that Risky Business had done, including detailed information about victims and survivors and the intelligence it had gathered.

The report said a second complainant – a victim of CSE – claimed that they spoke to Mr Wright about their experiences of abuse in Rotherham.

The investigation into the former PCC was conducted as part of the IOPC’s broader Operation Linden inquiry into the police response to the large-scale CSE in Rotherham.

Earlier this year, it said it has had 106 individual case references as part of its Rotherham investigation, and it estimates this will result in around 84 individual investigation reports.

It said 33 police officers remain on notice that they are under investigation.

In July, the IOPC announced it was expanding its investigation to include the role of the force’s former senior command team, although no individual senior officer is under investigation.