Rochdale’s recently resigned council leader is facing a possible police investigation after an official inquiry concluded that he lied under oath about child sexual abuse allegations. The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) said the evidence given by Richard Farnell about his knowledge of abuse in the town defied belief. He resigned as council leader on 8 December after weeks of pressure over his testimony in October. Farnell told the inquiry he first heard of sexual abuse claims in 2012 when the scandal erupted. The inquiry also criticised Paul Rowen, the former Liberal Democrat MP for Rochdale who succeeded Farnell as council leader in 1992.

Source: The Guardian April 12, 2018 11:02 UTC