Another High-Profile Abuser Who Escaped Punishment

[naomi24]

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/dispatches-reveals-how-cyril-smith-abuse-went-unpunished

[Ellipsis]

Yes, disgusting and disgraceful. The C4 news report was very good - on again on C4+1 (Sky channel 135) at 8PM if you missed it.

[Tilly2]

I'm willing to bet there are many more that we have not heard about.

[carrust]

Private Eye did a report on Cyril Smith whilst he was still an MP.....

[Mamyalynne]

He was well known to be an odious man, pity the poor innocents who suffer through these cover ups.

[naomi24]

Carrust, I was sure I remembered something about him, but couldn't recall where I got it from. Thank you.

[Gromit]

Yes Private Eye knew about Big Cyril 30 years ago, just as they knew about Saville's form. It is well known that Smith was a freemason at the time, as was God's cop Chief Constable James Anderton.

[jno]

unfortunately in the old days before Ian Hislop took over, Private Eye was not entirely reliable; they would reprint gossip on the grounds that it might be true, much as did the newspapers they jeered at. So people felt that their Smith stories were not necessarily accurate. But at least they tried to publish.

The story has been bubbling under a while - even I have heard about it, and I don't hear about much - but it is distressing and depressing none the less.

[ludwig]

// "larger than life character." //

That's politician talk for 'fat b4stard who abused children'.

[Gromit]

// before Ian Hislop took over, Private Eye was not entirely reliable //

I always regard the Richard Ingrams/Paul Foot era at 'Private Eye' as its Golden Age. Its investigative journalism at that time was the best it ever was. They were constantly being sued for libel but that reflected the weight and standing of the organ. They used to win as many libel actions as they lost. No one sues 'Private Eye' anymore because it is fairly irrelevent these days. I still buy it, but very rarely find much in it that is worth repeating.

Sorry Naomi24 for going off topic.

[emmie]

because of his profile presumably, victims would be aggrieved i am sure of this lack of police action..

[emmie]

i still like Private eye and Ian Hislop

[mikey4444]

I watched this last night and I found it disgusting. Everybody associated with Smith did their best to cover up his crimes. Steel and everyone else should be called to book asap.

[LazyGun]

Assuming the allegations about a cover-up over Smiths behaviour to be true, and political suppression of the police report and any action taken against Smith also to be true, it is both shocking and horrifying for the abuse he carried out, and the subsequent sheltering of him by the political class/establishment.

This matter deserves a far higher profile,for the sake of the victims, if for no one else, and also so that members of the establishment that were complicit are sent a strong message that such behaviour should not be tolerated.