Camden New Journal - News: Dobson: Let Salma’s family see her diaries

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Camden New Journal - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 23 August 2007

Frank Dobson MP

Dobson: Let Salma’s family see her diaries

MP backs request for parents’ access

HOLBORN and St Pancras MP Frank Dobson has written to Derbyshire’s most senior police officer with a request to let Salma ElSharkawy’s family see her private diary.
The 12-year-old from Gospel Oak died in a car crash near Buxton last month.
She had been taken away from her parents by Camden and taken to a residential care home in the area.
Her diaries are at the centre of an investigation into allegations of abuse but her family have not been allowed to see them.
Mr Dobson has written to the Chief Constable of Derbyshire Police asking for Salma’s parents Walid ElSharkawy and Mary O’Sullivan to be given a copy.
Mr ElSharkawy is also unhappy at the involvement of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the investigation, claiming that while it may be independent – it works too closely with Camden Council’s social services department.
Mr ElSharkawy said: “I told him (Mr Dobson) the situation with the diary. I said I would like him to intervene to stop them using the NSPCC, an agency which may be independent but are dependent on Camden social services for getting work.
“The NSPCC are supposed to be stopping cruelty to children but cruelty was happening to Salma for two and a half years. What did they do while she was alive?”
He added: “In January I reported to the Child Abuse Investigation Team that she was being abused by being put back into care each time she ran away. I told them it’s better for her to be put with her family than in the streets because she won’t go back to social services’ care.”

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