“Actress Samantha Morton has said that sexual abuse she suffered as a teenager in care was never investigated, despite her reporting it to police and social services.
The 37-year-old claimed she reported the abuse by two male residential care workers in Nottingham when she was 13 years old.
Speaking to the Guardian, the Bafta award-winning actress said she decided to waive her right to anonymity in the wake of a report detailing sexual exploitation of 1,400 children over a period of 16 years in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
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Fearing the issue is more widespread, she called for further investigations in other places, including her home town of Nottingham.
“I just wanted to go public with this, to say, we know it’s rife but why are there not further investigations into other areas? It isn’t just Rotherham, I’m sure it’s not just Rotherham,” she told the paper.
“There was no support, no offer of counselling, no wanting to delve deeper… Maybe they just assumed I had been abused already, or was being, anyway.
“A lot of people who abused my friends were people in very, very top jobs within the social services. Nottingham in the 80s was rife with that.”
The actress revealed she had recently spoken to Nottinghamshire Police about her original complaint and was told the report contained only a reference to “frolicking” and no sexual abuse.
Nottinghamshire Police Superintendent Helen Chamberlain told the paper she had spoken to Morton about the allegations but they had not amounted to a criminal offence and the actress had not reported them as one.
Meanwhile, a Nottinghamshire County Council spokesman said they were hoping to speak to her about her concerns.
In 2009, the double Oscar-nominee, who also starred alongside Tom Cruise in Minority Report, backed a Government campaign to recruit social workers in the wake of the Baby P scandal.
Speaking then Morton said she experienced some “wonderful” social workers who supported her and helped her realise her ambitions.”
Report by Sky News
Niamh Harris
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