The revelation has prompted criticism from child protection groups, with the NSPCC saying that the police’s decision to pay a child rapist and “plant him in the midst of vulnerable young girls” raised serious questions about the force’s approach to child sexual exploitation operations. The use of the police informant emerged during a pre-trial hearing at Newcastle crown court. The court heard that XY was also subject to a suspended sentence at the time he was paid by police. But the judge, Penny Moreland, dismissed XY’s evidence as “inherently unreliable”, “lacking in credibility” and “clearly dishonest”. Jon Brown, the lead expert on tackling child sexual abuse at the NSPCC, condemned the fact that XY’s involvement in the case had “ever have been considered, let alone approved”.

Source: The Guardian August 09, 2017 14:17 UTC