The leader of Nottinghamshire County Council has apologised to victims of historical child sex abuse, admitting the council failed to protect some children.
Describing the crimes as a 'dreadful stain' on the history of the council, cllr Kay Cutts promised survivors that every effort would be made to bring all perpetrators to justice.
In a statement, cllr Cutts said: 'Sadly, there is a dreadful stain on the history of this Council that we must neither refute nor excuse.
'Some children were entrusted to our care and we failed them.
'We now know that they were subjected to horrible and heinous abuse that has left many damaged and scarred for life. They suffered at the hands of devious people who had malice in mind.'
An Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is launching an investigation into the abuse in October.