The police commissioner at the centre of the Rotherham sexual abuse scandal today announced his resignation.
South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright stepped down following weeks of pressure.
He originally resisted calls to quit but today said questions about his future were detracting attention from the most important issue of helping the victims of abuse and prosecuting the criminals responsible.
A report by Professor Alexis Jay, published on August 26, found that at least 1,400 children had been abused in Rotherham between 1997 and last year.It also found that a series of detailed and accurate reports on the abuse had been suppressed and ignored.
Senior council officers and police are accused of taking no action.
At a public meeting last week Mr Wright was condemned by victims, but in a statement today he said that he had only ever wanted to support people who had suffered from “horrific crimes”. He said: “My role as... commissioner has clearly become prominent in terms of public opinion and media coverage following the publication of Professor Alexis Jay’s report.
“This is detracting from the important issue, which should be everybody’s focus — the 1,400 victims outlined in the report — and in providing support to victims and bringing to justice the criminals responsible for the atrocious crimes committed against them.”
