Homeless, beaten and left for dead

WATCHDOG FINDS COUNCIL DIDN'T ASSESS TEENAGER FOR HOUSING PROPERLY

- JOSEPH TIMAN

A HOMELESS teenager was beaten up and 'left for dead' after being refused housing by Manchester council.

The young woman had previously been the victim of criminal and sexual exploitation from a county lines drugs gang.

In 2020 she went to the council for help after she became homeless.

However she was refused and, in desperation, turned to a criminal who had previously exploited her for help. He demanded cash from her before attacking her, leaving her needing hospital treatment.

The council has now been criticised by a watchdog who found that the teenager wasn't properly assessed when she was refused housing. Manchester council has said it ‘fully accepts' the findings of the Local Government Ombudsman.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is referred to in the ombudsman's report as 'Ms X? Her parents, who had no idea their daughter was being exploited, split up, with the teenager staying with her mother and her father moving out with her sibling.