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A sickening campaign of grooming and sexual exploitation could have been halted years earlier by Wirral Council’s social services.

The ECHO can reveal a teenage girl was repeatedly targeted by Ara Rajenthiram while in the authority’s care - even after social workers found out she was having underage sex.

Shortly after the girl turned 16 she was even allowed unsupervised contact with him despite being considered so vulnerable that she had been placed in care.

The jailed predator later claimed three more victims over the following two-and-a-half years.

Pervert brothers Ara and Vino Rajenthiram were jailed on Monday after being convicted of 27 sexual offences against eight victims.

The pair targeted schoolgirls as young as 14 at the Birkenhead shop run by their family, winning them over with free crisps and sweets.

They would then take advantage of the girls after whisking them out on drives in flash cars or plying them with alcohol at private flat parties.

The Rajenthirams’ targeting of vulnerable girls started in 2010 and ended in January 2016 when police investigating the brief disappearance of one victim uncovered a network of abuse and exploitation.

Today, the ECHO can reveal fears over the brothers’ predatory behaviour had been raised years earlier.

But a catalogue of failings allowed the pair to continue, paving the way for them to commit more crimes and target more victims.

The ECHO can today report:

Wirral Council’s social services department was aware a teenage girl it was working with was meeting up with a 21-year-old man (Ara) as early as 2012

By that time, the pair were having sex, but this was not picked up

Despite concerns over the contact, which the victim denied was sexual, it was not stopped and she continued to be targeted

The following summer, a social worker officially declared she believed the contact was sexual. The victim was still below the sexual age of consent, but there appears to be no social services record that the fears were reported to police.

While still under age, and following suspicions the girl was having sex with Ara, concerns were raised with bosses by two members Wirral social workers, but it was decided Ara was “not a risk” - and that the girl would be allowed unsupervised contact with him

“Police checks” only took place once the girl had turned 16

While 16, but now considered vulnerable enough to be placed in care more than 100 miles from Birkenhead, the victim was allowed to travel to Wirral and have unsupervised contact with Ara on several occasions, for up to six-and-a-half hours at a time. Soon after her 16th birthday she was allowed to stay the night with Ara, who by then was being described in council records as a “consistent and supportive person” in her life

Over the nine month period that social services records, provided to the court, detailed Wirral’s involvement with the vulnerable teenager, Ara was deemed “not a risk” but has now been found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child covering at least 24 occasions on which offences were committed.

The five month trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard further damning claims about Wirral Council’s failure to step in and stop the abuse.

Jurors were told the worried mum of one victim told police of her fears that Vino was preying on underage girls as early as November 2011.

The mum did not make a formal complaint - but the court was told that social services were informed of the claim by Merseyside Police, presenting another opportunity to investigate one of the brothers.

The court also heard of difficulties finding Wirral Council social services records from the period covered by the offending.

The carer of the vulnerable teenager, who had tried to advise the girl that her involvement with Ara was “inappropriate”, told the court she had informed bosses of fears her client was being preyed upon by Ara. No record could be found of this.

The lack of official documents flagging up concerns about Ara was used by the defence to argue no such fears existed, undermining the prosecution case.

The ECHO understands a serious case review is now taking place to investigate Wirral Council and other public bodies’ handling of the scandal.

Asked lst month to comment on the failure to stop a vulnerable teenager from being sexually abused, Wirral’s then director for children’s services, Julia Hassall, told the ECHO: “These two men have committed awful crimes against vulnerable children and are dangerous and calculating people.

“While it is good that justice has been done, our thoughts remain with the victims and their families.

“It is important we continue to learn from the terrible experiences suffered by these children, and do everything in our power, with our partners, to continue to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation so we can protect children.”

Ms Hassall resigned from her position on Friday, just weeks after the ECHO questioned her suitability to overhaul Wirral’s much-criticised children’s services department.

Her resignation came days before Wirral Council’s handling of the Rajenthirams’ case would be made public by the ECHO, which had been restricted from reporting on the police investigation for more than 15 months.

On Friday it was announced Cllr Tony Smith had lost his position as cabinet member for children and family services in a shake-up carried out by council leader Phil Davies.

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Last year Ofsted highlighted “serious and widespread failures” in Wirral’s delivery of services designed to protect vulnerable children.

The ECHO understands a new senior management team has since been put in place to lead an overhaul of the department, boosted by millions of pounds of extra funding.

Professor Maggie Atkinson was also brought in as the new chair of Wirral’s Safeguarding Children’s Board after Ofsted branded the organisation, which is independent of Wallasey Town Hall, inadequate.

Professor Atkinson today said: “This is a tragic case. Our thoughts today are with the victims of these terrible crimes, and their families. It has been a complex and extensive investigation, with Merseyside Police, social care, NHS and all public agencies working together in order to bring the perpetrators to justice and to support the victims.

“On behalf of all public services in Wirral, I pledge to make sure these young women and their families continue to be provided with intensive support and care over the coming weeks and months.”