This argument is, however, reliant on the notion that men who desire sex with pre-pubescent children cannot help themselves if they have a diagnosis of paedophilia. Many experts, such as Professor Liz Kelly, director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit at North London University, do not agree. “The self-serving construction of paedophilia as a specific, and minority, ‘sexual orientation’ acts as a useful distraction to both the widespread sexualisation of children, and girls in particular, in Western cultures and the prevalence of sexual abuse,” she said.

According to Henley, any reasonable debate around so-called paedophilia is hindered by the moral panic that surrounds child abuse. But this could only be the case if such a thing as paedophilia existed, and if child sexual abuse was a rare occurrence. In any case, opposing the sexual abuse of children and upholding their human rights is not a “moral panic”.

Henley told me he was shocked at the level of vitriol, from a relatively small number of people, directed towards him following the publication of the article, which had been commissioned “from up high”.

“I should have been more explicit in my support of the victims of child sexual abuse, and my understanding of the traumatic consequences that child abuse can cause,” he went on. “But the level of hysteria and general panic around this whole subject means that no man would feel comfortable saying [that they feel sexual attraction towards children]. We need to reach a state where we can deal with this, so that abusers can be reached before, not after, they act.”

“The Jon Henley piece was extraordinary,” said Wheen. “I mean, that’s why it stood out for me, because it’s the one attempt I’ve seen in recent years to revert to the old ’70s case and say: surely there’s a case to be made and let’s not get over-censorious about this, and let’s approach this coolly and let’s lower the age of consent to four or whatever it might be. To me, [the article was] startlingly sympathetic, and I saw [Tom O’Carroll] rejoicing at the Guardian running it. I think it must have come as much as a surprise to O’Carroll as it did to everyone else.”

Christian Wolmar is the author of The Forgotten Children: The secret abuse scandal in children’s homes (2000). He believes that the “equal opportunities culture” of some London boroughs in the 1980s was such that, in order to promote the employment of “minorities”, criminal convictions of gay men were often unchecked, to avoid the appearance of discrimination. Wolmar quotes a 1995 report by Ian White about Islington council: “We were told that managers believed they would not be supported if they triggered disciplinary investigations involving staff who may be . . . members of the gay community.” This, of course, simply enabled child abusers to obtain jobs in children’s homes and other places where they would have access to vulnerable children. (Only an estimated 5 per cent of child sex abusers are women.)

“Organised abuse rings definitely exist. When I began to research Forgotten Children I was not a sceptic, but I was unsure as to what I would find,” said Wolmar. “PIE positioned themselves close to liberation movements as a deliberate ploy to attract the support of gays and leftists.