Lord Janner's Family to "Undermine" Sex Abuse Inquiry "from Within" after Being Given Formal Role in Investigation

By Robert Mendick
Telegraph
February 1, 2017

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/01/lordjanners-family-undermine-sex-abuse-inquiry-within-given/

The family, including his son Daniel Janner, were granted core participant status, which gives them access to documents and to have lawyers attend the inquiry’s hearings CREDIT: JONATHAN BRADY/PA WIRE

The family of Lord Janner yesterday vowed to ‘undermine from within’ the Government’s beleaguered child sex abuse inquiry after being given a formal role in the investigation.

The family were granted core participant status which gives them access to documents and to have lawyers attend the inquiry’s hearings.

It is not clear if the taxpayer will pick up the bill for the lawyers or whether the family will pay for legal representation themselves.

Lord Janner, who died in December 2015, is accused of abusing boys in children’s homes in Leicestershire where he was an MP.

His children have branded the inquiry into their father a witch hunt, pointing out he was never convicted in his lifetime and that now he is dead he cannot defend his reputation.

They also point out that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) was set up to investigate institutional abuse and that Lord Janner is the only individual who has merited an investigation strand of his own.

Welcoming the decision, his son Daniel Janner QC said: “It gives me the chance to undermine the inquiry from within. It is a macabre show trial.”

Mr Janner added: “Our Core Participant status does not legitimise an utterly disgraceful and unjust process.

Lord Janner, who died in December 2015, is accused of abusing boys in children’s homes in Leicestershire where he was an MP CREDIT: NICK RAZZELL/REX

“But Having Core Participant status enables us to intensify our wholehearted opposition to an utterly disgraceful and unjust process and in no way represents a legitimising of the iniquitous strand.”

Professor Alexis Jay, the fourth chairman of the inquiry since it was announced by Theresa May in 2014, ruled that the family should be given core participant status in a six page decision made available yesterday.

Prof Jay said: “The children have expressed a collective interest to ‘safeguard’ their late father’s reputation, which may during the investigation be subject to criticism. In those circumstances, I am satisfied that all three applicants are entitled to core participant status in that capacity.”

IICSA has suffered a series of high profile resignations and is beset by delays. It is likely to run for at least a decade and cost more than ?100 million.