A major £9million police investigation has uncovered a hidden 'epidemic' of child abuse in the 1970s and 80s, with officers receiving 11,346 allegations, 35% of which resulted in convictions.
New figures show Operation Hydrant achieved 4,024 guilty verdicts against paedophiles in all walks of life, including teachers, care home workers, priests and youth football coaches.
Officers say the convictions are evidence of 'widespread' child abuse in Britain during the period, and predict many more offenders will soon be brought to justice after thinking they had got away with their crimes.
New figures show Operation Hydrant achieved 4,024 guilty verdicts against paedophiles in all walks of life. Pictured is children's care home worker John Clifford Davies (left) who raped young girls in his care and paedophile care home owner John Allen (right)
Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the national lead for child protection and abuse investigations, told the Guardian: 'We are now having to come to terms, as a society, and we are going to have to recognise and accept, that during the 1970s and 1980s in particular, there was widespread sexual abuse of children taking place.
'These allegations and the vast majority of cases were never reported to the authorities. Some victims did not think they were going to be believed. There was one constant factor: there was an abuse of power … to satisfy their sexual desires.'
Out of the total 11,346 allegations, 47% saw no further action taken by police, often because the suspect was dead or could not be identified. A further 35% led to convictions and 6% in acquittals, with the remaining cases not reaching court.
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ShareOperation Hydrant began in 2014 after the Jimmy Savile scandal, and had a budget of £1.85m in the last financial year.
Paedophiles recently brought to justice include paedophile football coach Barry Bennell, who was jailed for 30 years in 2018 for 50 sex offences against boys at various English clubs.
Bennell is feared to have more than 100 victims after decades abusing young boys he was supposed to be coaching.
He will serve at least 15 years before being eligible for parole. It is likely the 64-year-old, who recently had cancer, will die in jail.
Barry Bennell was jailed for 30 years in 2018 for 50 sex offences against boys at various English clubs
This year, former children's care home worker John Clifford Davies was sentenced to 24 years in prison for a series of historical sex attacks, including three counts of rape against young girls.
His trial heard how Davies, 61, groomed one of the girls at his care home in Prestatyn, north Wales, by taking her out to pubs to buy her drinks, before one night driving her to a secluded spot and raping her.
And in 2014, Care home owner John Allen, 73, from Ipswich, was convicted of 33 historical sex offences against children who lived in his residential properties, with survivors saying they felt they had 'no choice' but to put up with his attentions.
He was handed a life sentence, and then given another 14 years this year after more victims came forward, with a judge saying Allen had subjected them to 'seriously depraved behaviour'.
Before he was Prime Minister in 2019, Boris Johnson came under fire for suggesting '£60m' spent on historical child abuse investigations was being 'spaffed up the wall'.
Mr Johnson did not explain what cases he was referring to, but the figure he quoted roughly equated to the cost of the first four years of the child sexual abuse inquiry, which was set up in 2014 by the then Home Secretary Theresa May.
Out of the total 11,346 allegations, 47% saw no further action taken by police, often because the suspect was dead or could not be identified. A further 35% led to convictions and 6% in acquittals, with the remaining cases not reaching court
Police figures show most offenders were linked to institutions such as schools and children's homes
Police have been praised for achieving a 35% conviction rate for historic cases, where evidence - including forensic material - is often much harder to gather.
Chief Constable Simon Bailey, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Child Protection, said: 'Non-recent child sexual abuse cases are more complex to investigate due to victims and suspects spanning force geographical borders, reduced forensic opportunities and witness testimony.
'Regardless of these challenges, our figures show that suspects are being brought to justice for abusing their position of power, trust and influence over the children they should have been safeguarding.
'Indeed, there are 7,000 named suspects on the Operation Hydrant database and our figures show that of the many thousands of allegations made against them, 11,346 have been finalised. Of those, 35 percent have resulted in a conviction.
'Furthermore, 86 percent of suspects on the Operation Hydrant database, for which there is a final investigation outcome, have been convicted of more than one offence. For instance, one suspect has been convicted of 78 offences, based on allegations made by 10 victims.'
Most suspects and victims of historic child sex offences were female, according to recent police figures
Before he was Prime Minister in 2019, Boris Johnson (pictured) came under fire for suggesting '£60m' spent on historical child abuse investigations was being 'spaffed up the wall'
Gabrielle Shaw, from the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), said: 'These are very heartening statistics. Having a final outcome, whatever that may be, is incredibly important.
'We know from what victims and survivors tell us that being able to report what happened to the police is healing for many people, sometimes even when a case cannot be pursued.
'There is more to be done, particularly the distress caused to survivors by the confusion over whether or not they can access therapeutic support during the process and the length of time their cases can take. But 35% of offenders brought to justice for non-recent abuse is very encouraging.'
- NAPAC provides support to adults who experienced any type of abuse in childhood. You can visit its website or call the support line on 0808 801 0331.
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