Any whiff of abuse must be reported

There was much discussion about MI5, the director of public prosecutions, Margaret Thatcher and an alleged "establishment cover-up". Actions taken at national level seemed to be on the very edge of what was reasonable. Was there error, misjudgment or malfeasance? Or was there undue influence? As a Le Carré fan, it was fascinating, but the whole truth may never come out.

After a morning of technical discussions, we heard the direct testimony of a long-term victim of Smith's abuse, which was absolutely harrowing. I just can't imagine what it must have felt like to make complaint after complaint of the most traumatic abuse, only for nothing to happen for decades.

There now seems to be incontrovertible evidence that former Liberal MP for Rochdale Cyril Smith was a manipulative, devious, bullying and intimidatory serial paedophile. At the same time, and this was part of the manipulation, he had built a popular public persona of charitable good works and selfless commitment to the community, to the extent that he was referred to locally as "Mr Rochdale".

At least one case of his abuse of boys was known about by council officials, who reported it to the Rochdale Police in 1965. Perhaps because Cyril Smith was a popular councillor, the complaint was low key and not followed through. Later, Lancashire Police carried out a full investigation. In 1970, they concluded "he had used his unique position to indulge in a sordid series of indecent episodes with young boys towards whom he had a special responsibility". Incredibly, the director of public prosecutions didn't prosecute on the questionable grounds that the law on corroboration at the time would not have led to a conviction. Cyril Smith was then told he would not be prosecuted, so he was free to continue his abuse for many years, hiding in plain sight - just like Jimmy Savile.

These two cases are different in detail, but both men abused over many years under cover of a charismatic public persona and "good works" - and we can all think of other, similar, cases.

Columnist Zoe Williams has said that we need to treat allegations of abuse like smelling a gas leak - we must always report it and if nothing is found, well and good, but it's out in the open. There are now many more checks and balances on people in power and their opportunities to abuse are more constrained than 50 years ago. In public life, we have a less deferential society, much improved governance, an improved legal framework, a greater willingness to blow the whistle, and far better arrangements for listening to children.

Not all public good is done as a cover for abuse, of course, and I sincerely hope that such cases are now exceedingly rare. But they happen, and we all need to be open to the possibility - being alert to the smell of gas and taking prompt and fearless action when needed. There can be no more excuses.

John Freeman is a social care consultant and former DCS