Sex abuse victims of ex-Sheffield Council chief speak out over 'further victims'

Roger Dodds, aged 81, of Cotswold Road, Hillsborough, was in charge of giving grants to university and college students when he assaulted five people between the 1970s and 1990s.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Dodds forced students to engage in sexual acts in order to secure payments. He was jailed on Friday for 16 years after admitting four counts of indecent assault on a man aged 16 or over and one count of indecent assault on a boy aged under 14 years.The charges relate to five separate victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

One victim claimed there could be even more people who were abused who have yet to come forward.

He said: "We are just the tip of the iceberg."

Another added: "I was the victim of a really horrible man. The council are so responsible. I even think at times the council are more responsible than he was."

They said he was investigated in both the 1980s and 1990s with no apparent consequences. The victims also claimed he was allowed to retire after a long career with an enhanced pension.

An independent investigation, carried out after an accusation of historic abuse was made in 2008, found failures in how the council dealt with complaints against Dodds.

The council’s executive director for children, young people and families, Jayne Ludlum, said she was "deeply sorry" on behalf of the authority.