A mother wrongly investigated for child abuse by the council at the centre of the Baby P scandal accused its bosses of “being a law unto themselves” and urged ministers to intervene. The woman and her partner feared their six-year-old daughter would be removed in the investigation by Haringey council, which was launched after it received an anonymous letter riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes. The two-year nightmare for the couple, who work in the social services field, ended when a High Court judge quashed the “unlawful” decision to start the investigation. Judge Anthony Thornton criticised head of services Sylvia Chew for ordering the inquiry and the council for approaching the child’s GP and school without the parents’ consent. The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has called for the education secretary to take over Haringey’s children’s safeguarding services. “Somebody’s got to come in because they cannot do it,” she said. “It seems to me the failings in Haringey go right up to the top. They have fought us all the way.”
