A police force that said a group in Stoke-on-Trent had used Facebook to organise a house party in order to abuse children has been forced to admit that claim was not true and the result of a "misunderstanding".
In a press release, seen by BuzzFeed News, Staffordshire police boasted it had "stopped groups who were organising parties through social media to attract young females in North Staffordshire with the intention to carry out child sexual exploitation".
The example cited was an operation that led to a house party planned in Bucknall on 5 February being shut down and up to 40 teenage girls, aged between 14 and 15, being taken home to their parents.
"Work was ongoing to support the girls and their families", the statement said.
The story was, understandably, picked up widely by media outlets across the country on 18 and 19 February provoking concern.
Staffordshire's chief constable, Jane Sawyers, also discussed the topic on a local radio station. Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, she said: "There is, without a doubt, activities taking place that intend to exploit young girls.
"We have intelligence and information around those activities and have lots of officers working on preventing them happening in the first place and then investigating them if they do happen."
When BuzzFeed News asked for further information about the incident, however, our request was forwarded to Chief Superintendent Wayne Jones, who said the "story isn't quite as sinister as it was perceived to be".
In follow-up emails, a spokesperson said: "The inclusion of the example of the party [in the press release] was due to a misunderstanding". They offered no further explanation of how the blunder happened.
The party had in fact been organised by a college student who planned to charge guests a £2 entry fee to help raise money to pay his rent, Jones said.
The host, who asked to remain anonymous for family reasons, told BuzzFeed News he was shocked when he first saw an article linking his "rent party" to child sexual exploitation in the press.
"I saw the article because a friend sent it over," he explained. "I did not think [the police] would say a thing like that."
Jones confirmed officers did attend the house party following a tip-off from a concerned teacher at a local college who heard two students discussing the event earlier that afternoon.
Up to 40 teenage girls were escorted home by police or their parents, but Jones said the force never had any reason to suspect the party was linked to a child exploitation gang and no arrests were made because "no offences had been committed".
Officers had intervened as part a child safeguarding operation called Habitat, which monitors parties organised online and through social media where young people could be at risk of sexual exploitation.
It launched three months ago after a number of teachers and parents voice concerns about the safety of children at house parties.
"A number of parties in Stoke-on-Trent had been advertised on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat with significant numbers of people attending," Jones said. "Some were legitimate, but others not."
Officers advised the host his party was a bad idea as many of the people planning to attend were strangers.
The host told BuzzFeed News he had advertised the party on Facebook but was expecting only his friends from college to attend.
When another larger party in the area was cancelled, he said, people were encouraged to make their way to "the rent party" despite not being invited.
In December, Staffordshire police's annual Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary inspection found the force to be "inadequate" in protecting and supporting vulnerable victims and said there were "serious weaknesses" in the services the force provides to help those in need.