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MPs' fear grooming gang records could have been destroyed after Home Office delays
The seven-month delay by the Home Office to preserve grooming gang records raises concerns about lost evidence before a national inquiry with a £65 million budget.
- The Home Office waited seven months to order police and local agencies to preserve records on grooming gangs, issuing formal instructions only on January 14, risking destruction of evidence crucial to the upcoming national inquiry.
- Baroness Casey's national audit in June last year explicitly recommended the Home Office formally require agencies to preserve relevant records, yet the department did not implement these instructions until January 14.
- Dame Karen Bradley warned the delay means records relevant to the inquiry might have been destroyed, as many agencies delete files after six years. Robbie Moore called the delay a "staggering failure" undermining public trust.
- Beginning next week with a £65 million budget, the inquiry chaired by Baroness Longfield holds statutory powers to compel documents, mitigating earlier preservation failures. The body will report by March 2029.
- Dame Karen Bradley has demanded the Home Office disclose an assessment of the risk caused by the delay and potential legal consequences. Lawmakers press for transparency on potentially destroyed records ahead of the inquiry.
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Grooming gang survivor says the government 'losing' key evidence has denied victims justice and she doesn't believe the 'whole truth will ever be told'
The Home Office has admitted delays in their requests to councils, police and other agencies to keep records could have led to crucial evidence being dumped.
MPs' fear grooming gang records could have been destroyed after Home Office delays
The Home Office waited seven months to issue formal instructions to police forces and other agencies to preserve grooming gang records for the statutory inquiry, it has been revealed.
·Leeds, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources9
Leaning Left0Leaning Right3Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
C 57%
R 43%
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