Rotherham sex scandal: More than 160 officers facing claims they ignored victims' pleas

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has already identified 60 officers as part of a major investigation into the scandal, and 100 others are in their sights.

The watchdog is examining whether or not disciplinary or even legal action should be brought against police officers who are accused of ignoring victims’ claims that they were being sexually trafficked and abused.

The revelations came as a solicitor representing the victims said only a fraction of those abused have come forward.

Investigators are ramping up their probe a year on from the publication of the explosive Jay Report, which uncovered the shocking scale of child rape, trafficking and grooming going on in the South Yorkshire town.

More than 1,400 children were sexually exploited by gangs of mainly Asian males in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

The report was scathing about the conduct of police and council officials, who routinely ignored the industrial scale of abuse, instead treating the victims as troublesome teenagers.

The IPCC has received 47 referrals from South Yorkshire Police since the publication of the report, involving more than 100 allegations of misconduct.