Child Abuse Victims Received Death Threats after Mps Revealed Their Identities by Publishing Leaked Evidence from Paedophile Inquiry
By Tom Mctague
The group says that names and contact details of panel members have since been redacted from the site – but not before they were contacted and threatened. The Home Secretary Theresa May has written to Mr Vaz describing her 'dismay' at the Committee's decision to publish the documents, Sky News has reported. Mr Vaz is now understood to be apologising to the victims whose identities he accidentally exposed. The Committee released a statement tonight, admitting that it had published material which it had received without redacting the names of abuse survivors. The statement said: 'Last week some material from the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse came into the Committee's possession in the course of our inquiry. 'The material included directions to Panel members about how they should answer questions from the Committee, as well as e-mail exchanges between Panel members about the Panel's external communications strategy. 'These e-mails included the names of third parties. At the request of the individuals concerned the material has been redacted to remove references to these individuals. The names of these individuals were already in the public domain. 'It is the policy of the Home Affairs Committee to publish all material it receives unless they concern matters of national security.'
One abuse survivor and his young daughter were approached by a convicted abuser after their details were published, it has been claimed. In a collective statement to the Home Secretary the group said: 'It has exposed us as individuals, making us feel vulnerable, and is having a huge impact on our work.' The news is likely to raise questions about the conduct of Mr Vaz, who earlier this week stated his intention to publish documents widely as a measure of 'transparency'. The documents also revealed the confidential details of a medical condition suffered by one survivor. The news is a further setback for the child abuse inquiry, which has been beset by controversy after two previous chairs were forced to step down after their links to establishment figures were revealed. Last week it emerged there was discord within the inquiry, as panel member and survivor Sharon Evans claimed she had been bullied by the inquiry's most senior legal adviser, Ben Emmerson QC.
But on Monday Mr Emmerson told the Home Affairs Select Committee Mrs Evans had breached her duty of confidentiality and was diminishing the trust of survivors on the panel and its ability to protect sensitive details of past abuse from the general public. The Home Affairs Select Committee now stands accused of being embroiled in those breaches itself. A spokesperson for the Committee said that only the names of four survivors were revealed, and that those names have now been redacted. Government loses identity of police marksmen who killed Mark Duggan sparking 2011 London riots... after sending confidential discs through the POST Bungling government officials have lost two discs containing the identity of the police marksman who killed Mark Duggan in 2011 sparking nationwide riots. Information relating to three judge-led inquiries including the fatal police shooting of Mr Duggan in Tottenham went missing in the post, the Ministry of Justice has admitted. Officials realised two discs containing documents on the Duggan case – as well as the police shooting of career criminal Azelle Rodney and the 1997 murder of Irish Catholic Robert Hamill in County Armagh - were lost in early January.
In a statement the MoJ said police have taken 'necessary steps' to ensure the protection of any officers whose information could be disclosed. The police marksman who killed Mr Duggan in north London in 2011, sparking nationwide riots, has never been made public, along with the identities of other officers involved in the case. Meanwhile, the Government has launched an investigation into the security breach of its guidelines and said disciplinary action will be taken if appropriate. A statement from the MoJ said: 'Government officials became aware on January 8 that two discs containing documents relating to these inquiries were missing, having been dispatched by post.
'Immediate steps were taken, including intensive searches to locate the discs. These searches continue, with police assistance. The discs have not, as yet, been found.' It added: 'At this stage there is no evidence to indicate that the information loss arose from malicious intent. 'Nevertheless, it is essential to take the most precautionary view and to take all necessary steps to safeguard the interests of anyone whose information could be disclosed. 'Police and other agencies have undertaken their own risk assessment, and have identified and taken any steps necessary to ensure the protection of officers. 'The Rodney, Hamill and Duggan families and the three judges who conducted the inquiries and inquest have been informed. So too has the Information Commissioner's Office.' Lawyers are undertaking a review of the missing documents to discover if they held confidential or sensitive details, the MoJ said. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said the force has undertaken a risk assessment of the material that was on the discs and has taken 'appropriate steps'. Labour's Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan MP attacked the security failure. He said: 'This is an appalling lapse in security concerning highly confidential information on very sensitive investigations. It would be disastrous if this data got into the wrong hands. 'The Justice Secretary needs to get an urgent grip on this situation and set out what the Government is doing to find this data and reassure the public that measures are in place to prevent it happening again.'
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