The shock news as I write this blog is that Lowell Goddard, the New Zealand judge in charge of the abuse inquiry has resigned from her post in charge of the IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse) some 15 months after she was appointed. She was, of course, the third chairperson after Baroness Butler Sloss who lasted a matter of a week, and Dame Fiona Woolf who resigned after criticism.
In the early days, the Inquiry was heavily criticised by survivors and the public alike due to the leader being connected with establishment figures of various types. It was also criticised for taking on a huge burden of investigation, which would mean its duration would last for many years.
Finally, when Lowell Goddard was appointed, she changed the whole structure of the Inquiry by putting it on a statutory footing, something the survivors were calling for. She also dismissed the survivor based panel and re-appointed non-survivors to lead it, with the survivors being represented and in a consultative capacity, but without the direct power of authority which the panel members hold.
In the beginning, all members of the “survivor” community including lawyers and others were encouraged. Judge Goddard seemed to have:-
- Integrity
- Firmness
- Planning Ability
- Empathy but not sympathy
- Patience but determination
There were still those who were critical. Those people seemed to be relegated to those with a vested interest namely alleged abusers or their families, which, in reality was not surprising.
The Inquiry carries a poisoned chalice namely to uncover, if possible, corruption at the heart of government. It is looking for evidence that those in positions of high power knew, or chose to ignore signs of abuse, or worse, were involved with the abuse itself at children’s homes and other establishments.
Those of a suspicious, or perhaps perceptive nature would argue that the Inquiry has been set up to fail so as to protect those in positions of power.
I am involved in the Janner Inquiry. At the publicly broadcast directions hearing last week, it was announced that the evidential investigation was being fired at government, evidence already having been obtained from peripheral authorities such as the police and the local authority. There was also a hint of tension following an unannounced application by the Police for restrictions on press broadcasting.
The investigation of Lord Janner is causing disquiet amongst friends and family who feel that a man who has never been prosecuted and is dead should not be the subject of investigation. This ignores the wishes and feelings of 30 victims half of whom we represent. They deserve some sort of justice after the Police and the Crown Prosecution Services missed 4 opportunities to prosecute the Lord during his lifetime. It also ignores the fact that the Inquiry’s interest in Janner is derived from the fact that he was a Member of Parliament for many years with intense connections with the establishment.
I cannot believe that recent criticism of Judge Goddard by Sean O’Neill of the Times and other broadsheets have brought about her resignation. The headlines, as are often the case, surround money and her salary, as well as being accused of spending too much time abroad.
I can only presume that her external commitments in Australia and New Zealand, have brought about split loyalties and the realisation that she cannot do full justice to the task which she seemed determined to give her full concentration. [Since this blog was published, rumours of tensions within the Inquiry have been speculated. Some social media commentators have opined that she has been dismissed by government for probing too far.]
The press releases give no clue as to the reason behind the resignation, which the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, appears to have immediately accepted and commented that it is the correct decision.
So what of the future – a quick replacement is required to ensure continuation with the same energy. An overly quick appointment, however, could result in more criticism if someone too close to the establishment is once again installed.
Survivors will feel betrayed once again, and let down by what they will perceive is failure by authority to properly investigate what those in positions of power are trying to cover up. They were, of course, abused by someone in a position of power or authority in childhood. Their perception, of course, is arguably more important than whatever may be the reality.
I will give my view on BBC West Midlands tomorrow morning at 7.30am. What other interest will arise, and how long the story will run in the media with the Olympics also opening in Brazil, remains to be seen.
If you need advice on any aspect of abuse please contact us.
The true horror is the extent of manipulation in local council estates where properties are used regular with key access my perpiteators and no one would even guess…..i never knew I was being trafficked most mu life and mu children……the extent of the hate towards non tax payers and the benefit method of controll with the banks and benefit providers is not only gross but….unimagionable…..thats why people do not realise its actually going on. It’s so we’ll organised…the harshest of the facts is that if no statements are made or being taken and investigated then no one goes to prison. Why do we even have a police force? Maybe if a knew organisation was set up to monitor police systems and permissions where limited for police there may be a better result…..i was tortured and my children to cover up. The whole story about monarch abuse and church used and people blaming the devil etc….is wrong. Open you’re eyes there going for the kids as they are our future. See how high the statistics are already…..im encli Ed to believe them…….so it appears it may be to late already…..emotionaly disturbed teens and children must be so much easier to manipulate? Right? Threats and fear….familly manipulation…..money controll….the last one can be controlled by providers……how do you controll money…by providing it
Dear Mr Garsden,
I have come across your blog doing research on the internet.
I am originally from Germany, but have lived in the UK from 1994 to 2011. I now live in a homeless shelter in New York. I came here at the end of August 2016.
I believe I am the victim of a cover-up involving politics, secret services and police.
Parts of them seem to be members of a secret society (possibly the Illuminati, with possible links to the Freemasons) who have special abilities like telepathic hearing and sensing and are able to predict future events in astounding detail. The society’s members are strategically placed in positions of power and there seem to be links to organized crime and possibly extreme right-wing groups. It’s an international organization, operating out of Germany, Great Britan and the US, but very likely other countries, as well. I myself developed telepathic hearing and sensing in the second half of 2015. Needless to say, I don’t belong to this organization. Some of the secret society’s members seem to commit crimes, such as child abuse, that others in law enforcement agencies then cover up. With the back-up of judges and politicians, who belong to the secret society, crimes can go undetected and an evil concentration of power becomes established.
I seem to have uncovered something that people in power wanted to remain hidden.
I was sexually abused by my mother as a child. When in 2014 I reported my brother Samy to the police for sexually abusing two of his children, strange things began to happen. I was told I was not allowed to know what was going on. Someone hinted to me that my brother has killed himself. But no one is telling me, whether that’s true or not. So I have been trying to find out the whole truth for 2 ½ years. I’ll stop here. I have written a report and several e-mails about it to various people. I’ll send them all to you.
The people I have contacted are several BBC radio presenters, Janice Long, Marc Riley, Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie and Jonathan Ross. I have contacted several newspapers, the first was the Washington Post. Then there is the Guardian in the UK, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung in Germany, the New York Times. I have contacted the organization Reprieve (www.reprieve.org.uk) in the UK as well as Amnesty International, both in the UK and US. I have also e-mailed the King of Spain, who is a distant relative of my nieces and nephew. Then I have e-mailed the Jewish World Congress here in the US, as well as the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland. That’s because it seems that there is a significant number of Jewish people who have these special abilities and I need to find people who have got them and who will testify that these abilities exist. Not everyone who has these abilities is in the secret society, I think.
I read about Operation Conifer on the internet and realized that there is possibly a link between what is happening to me and this investigation into child abuse committed by establishment figures in the UK that is going nowhere. I then contacted Wilthsire police and the IPPC, which produced a few strange e-mails and an even stranger visit from the NYPD. I have written about it and you’ll get everything as soon as I find your e-mail address. Since I have to e-mail from the library, it can take a while till I have sent you everything.
Yesterday I also contacted Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse of the Met. He is one of the police officers who were criticized for investigating VIPs during Operation Midland. I have e-mailed everything I have written to him. It would be good if you could contact him. I am sure he is one the people who don’t want the investigations into child abuse to die.
What happened to me, largely happened in Germany. But looking back I realize that I was probably under surveillance by the secret service in Britain. And now that I am here in the US, I am pretty sure that the secret service has me in its sight.
I am not sure the e-mails I am sending reach their destinations. So I would be grateful if you could contact the people I mentioned and ask them whether they got everything and then please let me know.
I have now come to the conclusion that this cover-up I am entangled in is spread over several countries. In the UK at least there is something out in the open, even though every effort seems to be made to prevent the truth from coming out. Please follow this up. Thank you, Susanne Fayadh, Brooklyn, NY