A LEADING legal campaigner has admitted making a mistake by suggesting there were hundreds of rapists and abusers in Bolton.

Frances Cook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, wrote an article for politics.co.uk headlined ‘Rotherham abuse shows the danger of only having men in charge’, where she argued there was a pattern of ‘disbelief and suppression’ when mainly men were investigating allegation of sexual assault.

Writing for politics.co.uk, Ms Cook wrote: “There are many, possibly hundreds of men in Rotherham and Bolton and surrounding areas who are rapists and abusers and they need to be caught and convicted.”

However after being contacted by The Bolton News, the office of Ms Cook said she meant Burnley.