Council remove town hall plaque honouring Sir Cyril Smith after concerns of vandalism raised following sex abuse allegations
- Council leaders remove plaque to prevent vandalism
- Ex-Rochdale MP Sir Cyril - who died two years ago - is at the centre of allegations he administered punishments to vulnerable children
- 'Young boys were humiliated, terrified and reduced to quivering wrecks by a 29st bully imposing himself on them' Labour MP Simon Danczuk claimed
Council bosses have taken down a Rochdale town hall plaque honouring Sir Cyril Smith - as six more people came forward to allege they were abused by the former MP.
They say the tribute - which was put up last year - has had to come down after it was threatened with vandalism.
Council leader Colin Lambert said he and chief executive Jim Taylor came to the decision to remove the plaque.
A 'neutral act': The local council has removed the plaque to prevent vandalism
The tribute which was erected last year before the allegations came out
Rochdale Town Hall: Sir Cyril Smith was a renowned figure in local politics for over 40 years
Councillor Lambert said: 'We make no judgement on the situation with Cyril Smith, but the strength of public feeling is such that we have been alerted to a potential threat to the town hall.'
Councillor Lambert said there had been internal discussions about the plaque since last week, when child abuse allegations against the former MP resurfaced.
Appeal: Police have urged anyone who believes they were the victim of sexual abuse by former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Cyril Smith, pictured, to come forward
All six of the new allegations against Sir Cyril Smith, who died in 2010, have been made to the office of the town's current MP, Simon Danczuk.
Mr Danczuk has already named two other alleged victims in Parliament, while another has taken his case to Manchester law firm Pannone.
None of the alleged victims has yet taken their cases to the police - although detectives have urged them, and anyone else who believes they have been abused by Sir Cyril, to do so.
In one of the latest cases to emerge, a man, who wishes to remain anonymous, has told the M.E.N. he was a pupil aged 12 or 13 at Kingsway High in Rochdale when he was fondled by Sir Cyril during a routine medical.
He added: 'The nurse had come round to check us for nits... that sort of thing. Cyril was there.'
The man went on to describe how Sir Cyril abused him.
He added: 'I was scared. I didn't know what was going on. It makes me sick. I think it hasn't come out because of who he was. It's like Jimmy Savile - he was similar. In Rochdale, he was like that.
'He was Cyril Smith. He was almost godlike. He used to go around schools all the time.
'It was 'guess who's coming today, Cyril Smith is coming to see us all today so you'd better behave'. It was like he ran the place.'
Claims: Ex-Rochdale MP Sir Cyril, right, who died two years ago, is at the centre of allegations he administered punishments to vulnerable children, Labour MP Simon Danczuk, left, claimed in the House of Commons
Barry Fitton, one of two alleged victims named in Parliament, said he was 15 when he was abused by Sir Cyril in Cambridge House boys' hostel in Rochdale. Another, Eddie Shorrock, said he was 17 when the politician ordered him to strip at the hostel.
Following the revelations, Lancashire Police have for the first time gone public to ask any potential victims of Sir Cyril to come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to call Lancashire Constabulary on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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