Scotland Yard to Assess Grounds for Criminal Investigation of Lambeth Council

Scotland Yard has promised to examine the grounds for a criminal investigation into Lambeth Council 40 years after the abuse and death of a child in its care.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) found a "culture of cover-up" within Lambeth Council led to more than 700 children being abused.

Frequent and heinous abuse by paedophiles was permitted on a scale the report found "hard to comprehend", adding in its summary: "With some exceptions, they (Lambeth Council staff) treated children in care as if they were worthless".

One of the four recommendations made by the inquiry yesterday (Tuesday, July 28) was that Scotland Yard consider a criminal investigation into actions Lambeth Council took when a child in its care died.

The boy, known as LA A2 in the report, died in a bathroom at the care home Shirley Oaks in 1977. Following an allegation of sexual abuse he had made against his 'house father' Donald Hosegood three years earlier, LA A2 was one of four children who were complainants at Hosegood's trial.

Lambeth Council did not inform the coroner of either the sexual abuse LA A2 had alleged against Hosegood or his involvement in Hosegood's criminal trial. Lambeth Council implied there was no indication of LA A2 having been unhappy in the period leading up to his death.

Commander Alex Murray, of the Metropolitan Police Service, said investigators "will now assess" if there are grounds for a criminal prosecution.

He said: "We have received the recommendation by IICSA namely 'the death of LA A2 whether the Met should consider whether there are grounds for a criminal investigation into Lambeth Council's actions when providing information to the coroner about the circumstances surrounding LA A2's death', which we will now assess.

"There are victims and families who have waited years for this, and I hope today's publication brings some answers.

"It is clear that at different times we missed opportunities to identify offenders and investigate further. Some of the treatment of children was also unacceptable.

"We encourage anyone who has been the victim of child sex abuse to come forward and speak with us."

"As the report notes, we have changed the way we investigate allegations of child sexual abuse, with better training for officers, greater collaboration between social care partners, and putting the victim at the heart of the investigation.

"We are building a culture of professional curiosity within the Met to ensure any officer with concerns about a child acts promptly and appropriately.

"We will ensure that any learning for the Met will be taken forward."

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