Update 07/08/2016:
Child abuse inquiry judge Dame Lowell Goddard did not resign – she was ‘sacked’, legal sources reveal. Read More
Judge who deserted child abuse probe ‘can stay in her taxpayer-funded £110,000-a-year London house and is entitled to a £90k payoff despite resigning with immediate effect’
The Mail Online reports:
Dame Lowell Goddard, who quit as head of the nationwide child abuse inquiry, could be allowed to stay in her £110,000-a-year luxury London apartment, despite resigning with immediate effect.
Lawyers from the Home Office are poring over the New Zealand judge’s contract, but it is thought she is entitled to a three month notice period, with taxpayers footing the bill for her residence and pay.
The former chair of the landmark inquiry could also receive up to £90,000 in severance pay – as well as being able to stay in her Knightsbridge apartment for three months.
Dame Lowell Goddard has resigned as the head of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. This is the third Judge to quit the position of leading the Inquiry in just two years.
In a resignation letter sent to Ms Rudd, she wrote: “I regret to advise that I am offering my resignation as chair of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, with immediate effect. I trust you will accept this decision.”
Ms Rudd wrote back: “I know that this will have been a difficult decision for you to make, and something you will have carefully considered. I was sorry to receive your letter, but I accept your decision.”
She went on: “I know how personally committed you have been to ensuring that the inquiry is a success for those at its heart: the survivors and the victims.
“You have consistently demonstrated your desire to leave no stone unturned in order that the voices of those victims might be heard.
“It is a testament to your commitment that you have taken the difficult decision to stand down now, having set the inquiry firmly on course, and allow someone else to lead it through to the end. With regret, I agree that this the right decision.” – BBC News
Baroness Butler-Sloss resigned as chairwoman in July 2014 following difficult questions over the role played by her late brother, Lord Havers, who was attorney general in the 1980s.
Dame Fiona Woolf stood down following concerns over her links to establishment figures.
The Inquiry has been riddled with resignations, complications and time extensions since the beginning. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Inquiry is nothing more than a theatrical stage show to give the impression that serious action is being taken over VIP Child Abuse.