Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb said paedophiles should be 'looking over their shoulder'

Paedophiles abusing children in are should be 'looking over their shoulder,' the Welsh Secretary warned following today's publication of the Macur Review.

Stephen Crabb MP told the House of Commons that successes by an ongoing criminal investigation into recent allegations of historical abuse in the north Wales care system shows offenders aren't 'untouchable' and can be tracked down.

Operation Pallial, led by the National Crime Agency (NCA), has seen seven men convicted while 102 complaints are still being investigated, with a total of 51 men or women arrested or interviewed under caution. A further eight people have been acquitted after trial. Mr Crabb also said that an independent review found there was enough evidence to suggest 25 suspects who are now dead could also have been charged with various offences.

The remarks were made as MPs debated the newly-published Macur Review - a review into the Waterhouse inquiry, which examined abuse between 1974 and 1996. Lady Justice Macur found there was no evidence to undermine the findings of the original inquiry.

Labour MP Paul Flynn called for further investigations, stating that 13 young men had not given evidence to the new report because they'd lost their lives.

Mr Crabb praised Lady Justice Macur's 'thoroughness and diligence' in examining the Waterhouse inquiry paperwork and addressing the allegations, but admitted he didn't think the report would bring full closure to all those involved.