Cyril Smith - Personal Life - Allegations of Sexual Abuse

Allegations of Sexual Abuse

In May 1979 a local underground magazine, the Rochdale Alternative Press, alleged that in the 1960s Smith had spanked and sexually abused teenage boys in a hostel he co-founded. The matter was investigated by the police but Smith was not prosecuted. The story was repeated in the same month by the satirical magazine Private Eye. No public denial or legal action ensued, but after Smith's death the allegations were denied by his family.

In November 2012, speaking in the House of Commons, Simon Danczuk, the Labour MP for Rochdale, Smith's old seat, called for an inquiry into the alleged abuse. On 21 November, Greater Manchester Police announced it would investigate allegations that Smith sexually abused boys at a hostel in Rochdale after 1974, and Lancashire Police would investigate claims dating from before 1974. The police said it would look at whether investigations had taken place into Smith during the 1980s and 1990s. On 27 November 2012 the Crown Prosecution Service admitted Smith should have been charged with crimes of abuse more than 40 years ago. In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said the boys "were victims of physical and sexual abuse" by the ex-Rochdale MP. Smith was never charged although investigations were undertaken in 1970, 1998, and 1999. The method of assessing the probability of a conviction has changed since 1970, and the decision not to charge Smith then necessitated the outcome of the 1998 investigation.