THE former senior detective who turned whistleblower to trigger a wide-ranging probe into historic child sexual exploitation has slammed police chiefs over their response to a rape allegation made by an Oldham woman 22 years ago when she was just 15.

Maggie Oliver described the letter sent to the woman - now aged 37 - as "totally typical, insensitive, arrogant and obnoxious".

"I really don’t know where they find these people. It makes my blood boil."

As reported by The Oldham Times on January 23, Ms Oliver was part of Operation Augusta, following the death in 2003 of Victoria Agoglia from an overdose of heroin injected by a 50-year-old man for favours.

But it was closed down in 2005 with none of the perpetrators brought to justice.

Ms Oliver followed up a high-profile press conference over the failings of Operation Augusta at Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham's office by claiming GMP tried to prevent the publication of the damning report last week by child protection expert Malcolm Newsam and former police officer Gary Ridgway.

The claim has since been denied by Chief Constable Ian Hopkins.

Ms Oliver has now seen the letter sent to the Oldham victim of alleged historic rape, who we are calling Susan to protect her identity.

Susan, who was raped at knifepoint as a teenager, launched an official complaint against the police for what she claims is their failure to bring her attacker to justice.

She has been told by police that forensic evidence compiled following a "deeply personal and traumatic medical examination" following the alleged attack on October 16, 1998 has been destroyed.

Susan says she has been traumatised her entire adult life by the attack which took place in the Copster Hill area of the town.

Her mother says that immediately after the attack, she was told by the Crown Prosecution Service opted not to proceed with the case because Susan had already had sex with her then boyfriend.

But when she asked the police to look into her case, Susan says she was told the forensic evidence gathered at the St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester in 1998 had been destroyed.

As a result of her experience at St Mary's, Susan has never been for a smear test because of how "degrading" having swabs taken at the hospital was.

After contacting the police again recently to get the case reopened, she was told the evidence taken at the time had been destroyed.

Susan then made an official complaint, but a reply from an M Thornton at GMP's Professional Standards Branch Investigations said: "Following my assessment of your complaint, I am considering that it does not need any investigation because it is out of time.

"The Police Reform Act 2002 allows that a complaint can be disapplied if more than 12 months has elapsed between the incident giving rise to the complaint.

"Before I make a final decision, I need you to explain why you have delayed making your complaint."

Condemning the "insensitivity" and tone of the reply, Ms Oliver via The Oldham Times has advised Susan to advance her complaint to the Independent Office for Public Conduct (IOPC), formerly the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Ms Oliver said that from her experience as police officer evidence of such crimes should not be destroyed without first consulting the alleged victim.

And she said she has launched Maggie Oliver Foundation and a campaign to site a "Maggie Oliver Centre" in Rochdale to support an "overwhelming number" of victims have been in contact with her.

"Susan's story is a familiar pattern for victims," she said. "The trauma of the experience they have suffered never leaves them.

"Sometimes they are not able to think about it, to try to escape from what has happened to them.

"GMP say they have learnt lessons and that things have changed, but in reality they have not. Child sex exploitation is still going on. The arrogance of the reply to Susan's complaint is breathtaking."

Ms Oliver said she has launched the Maggie Oliver Foundation and a campaign to raise at least £250,000 to fund a "Maggie Oliver Centre" in Rochdale.

And she has organised an open meeting at the Cemetery pub in Bury Road, Rochdale, on Sunday, February 2, from 11am to 12.30pm, to talk about the centre and how it will run.

Ms Oliver's foundation will focus on helping survivors to "transform pain into power", she said.

She said the centre would be run by by volunteers and survivors who will be able to provide a much needed and valued support to those who have been affected by sexual abuse, and help them access support, legal advice therapy as well as training and education.

She added: "The centre will be open to all faiths and backgrounds, a hub for women to integrate and build relationships - mums' and toddlers' groups, coffee mornings, art classes, workshops and access to support networks and services.

"The Maggie Oliver Foundation is actively looking to engage with corporate sponsorship and funding to support this very much needed centre."