Rochdale council leader says he had no knowledge of abuse claims

The current leader of Rochdale Council has insisted he knew nothing of child sexual abuse at a notorious boy's school in the 1980s and 90s.

During evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Councillor Richard Farnell blamed his colleagues on the council for not alerting him to the scandal at Knowl View School.

The Labour politician, who also led the authority between 1986 and 1992, clashed several times with Brian Altman QC, counsel for the IICSA.

Mr Altman asked him: "You were completely and utterly oblivious to what was going on at Knowl View over the years?"

Mr Farnell replied: "All those people you have mentioned did not bring that to my attention."

"Did anybody else, Mr Farnell?" Mr Altman continued.

"No," Mr Farnell replied.

Mr Altman asked: "Is it the truth, Mr Farnell?"

"It is the truth," he replied.

"The idea that you never knew about it and was never told is just ridiculous, isn't it?" Mr Altman continued.

"That's your view," Mr Farnell said.

Senior officials at the council commissioned a scathing report into Knowl View in 1992.

The inquiry has already heard evidence that the local MP at the time, Cyril Smith, would regularly abuse young boys at the home and was protected from prosecution.

When Mr Farnell was asked why nothing was done regarding the reports and allegations surrounding Smith he said: "The view was among my colleagues that it had been investigated and nothing came of it."

He told the inquiry that he only learnt of the true scale of the scandal at Knowl View when another former MP, Simon Danczuk, published a book exposing his predecessor Smith as a paedophile in 2014 - the year Mr Farnell regained his position as council leader.

But the inquiry heard claims Mr Farnell told a colleague that same year that he had seen a draft report containing allegations of sexual abuse before he left office in 1992.

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A note of a meeting in June 2014 made by Peter Joinson, the Labour group's chief whip at the time, read: "At the end of the meeting I raised with the leader the issues of press articles that questioned his knowledge of the Knowl View abuse reports."

The note, handed to police that October, made reference to a report from a sexual health worker employed by the Rochdale health authority.

"As a consequence of that report the council was preparing a report, this was between approximately March and June 1992," it continued.

"Cllr Farnell said he had only seen a draft report and the full report wasn't complete until June. By that time he had lost his council seat and ceased to be council leader."

Mr Altman told the inquiry Mr Joinson was questioned by police about the note in April 2016.

"He (Mr Joinson) said you told him there were allegations of sexual abuse in the draft report you had seen," said the barrister.

Mr Farnell said: "No."

Mr Altman continued: "So Mr Joinson completely and utterly invented the content of this meeting with you on June 11?"

"Absolutely, yes," Mr Farnell replied.

He suggested Mr Joinson fabricated the conversation as part of a "bitter election campaign", which he described as a "civil war within the party".

"Either he's lying, or you're lying," said Mr Altman.

Mr Farnell replied: "It's certainly my contention that he's lying."

As he concluded his evidence, Mr Farnell singled out others at the council who he believes should shoulder the blame.

He said: "I bitterly regret the senior members of the council never approached me about these matters. They never did."