Abuse reports warned of Clwyd paedophile ring

Warnings about the possibility of a paedophile ring operating around children's home in North Wales and the north-west were given four years ago in 14 confidential and unpublished reports, at least one of which has been sent to the Welsh Office and other agencies. The unpublished reports looked at one local authority home - Cartrefle, near Wrexham - and raised concerns about widespread abuse.

One of the reports obtained by the Independent says: "There remains worrying current instances of conviction and prosecution for sexual offences of persons who are known to have worked together in child care establishments both in the county [Clwyd] and in other parts of the north-west.

"These suggest firstly, that abuse could have been happening unabated for many years and secondly, that there could be operating a league or ring of paedophiles who help one another find sources and situations where abuse can be perpetrated and the addiction fed."

Many of the key findings in two Cartrefle reports, which were written in 1990 and 1991 but which have never published, are echoed in the subsequent Jillings report which calls for a public judicial inquiry into the events at children's homes in North Wales over two decades

The Jillings report says the team could not tackle some of the issues raised because of lack of mandate. "This includes the suggestion that public figures may have been involved in the abuse of young people in Clwyd," it says.

Yesterday John Jillings, chairman of the inquiry team, attacked the way that his report has been kept secret, adding: "I think it is unacceptable that none of the reports on child abuse in North Wales have ever been published."

Meanwhile, last night Mike Hall, the Labour MP for Warrington South, said that he would be asking for a full national inquiry into child care after the disclosure that 300 former residents had complained about abuse they suffered while in homes in the Cheshire area over a 20-year period.