Abuse Videos In Smith's Car Were 'Hushed Up'

A cold case team is investigating why police officers failed to take action after pulling over shamed MP Cyril Smith and discovering a stash of child abuse videos while he was travelling along the M1 in the 1980s.

Senior officers within Northamptonshire Police have vowed to find the officers who stopped Smith's vehicle and discover who put pressure on them not to take it further.

The revelation first came to light in a book by current MP for Rochdale Simon Danczuk in which it was highlighted as an example of Smith's "untouchable" status.

Mr Danczuk said: "I'm pleased the police have decided to act because they may help shine a light on who was helping cover-up for Cyril Smith.

"We know that Smith kept being let off any charges but we still need to trace where the patronage was coming from.

"Northamptonshire Police may well now help identify who was supporting Smith."

The suspicion among other former senior police officers is that Cyril Smith was being protected because he was part of abuse networks within Westminster, as well as around Greater Manchester.

Several former detectives have explained in recent days how they had gathered the evidence to prosecute the late Liberal MP but were closed down by mysterious senior officers they did not know.

Assistant Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet said: "Detectives in Northamptonshire Police's Cold Case Team are currently making inquiries to establish the nature of the circumstances surrounding the disclosures made in the book.

"We would encourage anyone who knows anything about the claims in the book relating to alleged events in Northamptonshire to come forward and tell us."

The IPCC is overseeing an investigation into police misconduct in the 1970s and 1980s where officers are accused of being part of a cover-up that protected high profile child abusers including politicians, judges and other VIPs in London.

Scotland Yard detectives are currently investigating widespread claims of child abuse, including allegations three boys may have been murdered by abusers.