The authorities and police had opportunities to investigate the abuse of girls as young as 12 in Manchester but failed to do so

Senior police officers should be prosecuted for covering up the systematic grooming and sexual exploitation of dozens of children over 15 years in Manchester, a whistleblower has said.

A damning report published yesterday revealed that Greater Manchester police knew of grooming gangs sexually exploiting girls as young as 12 and had identified almost 100 potential perpetrators, including a serving officer, but failed to pursue them.

It said that dozens of children were being exploited “in plain sight” and that there was “clear evidence” girls were being abused, “generally by a group of older Asian men”. Police had details of suspects’ names, where they lived or worked and the flats above takeaway shops where the abuse occurred.

Maggie Oliver, a former Manchester detective, described the scandal as “unforgivable” MEN MEDIA

The report was commissioned to examine Operation Augusta, which