THE CASE of the young mother who was raped by her father - and even fell pregnant in one of his horrific attacks - is a tale of tragic, sustained abuse and the substantial damages paid to her can never erase the memory of the pain she has suffered.

Although the pay-out is aimed at compensating her for the failures of social services to keep her safe, it could also be seen as a further wake-up call to those who are in charge of safeguarding our children.

Cases such as this one are, thankfully, rare and at the more extreme end of the abuse spectrum. Sometimes, the evil a father will visit upon his own children almost cannot be legislated for, it is so far out of the experience of ordinary human beings.

But we must accept that there are such monsters among us and that every measure must be taken to protect the children who bear the brunt of their brutal abuse.

We often hear that failings in the duty of care by social services means that lessons have been learned. Across the country – and here in Bradford – many harsh lessons have been learned in recent years, as more cases come to light of children silently suffering abuse and grooming.

It is a difficult task for social services to keep track of every single child and ensure that they are living in a loving, secure and, above all, safe home. But it is a task that must be carried out and succeeded in.

There is a fine line to tread between vigilance and over-zealous interference but, while there are men like this woman’s father, and gangs of abusers who groom young women for their own sordid ends, we can never be complacent.