UNITED KINGDOM
Express
THE Home Office has again been forced to defend the appointment of Baroness Butler-Sloss to investigate a potential cover-up of child abuse amid claims she put the church reputation ahead of outing an implicated bishop.
By: Helen Barratt
Published: Sat, July 12, 2014
Lady Butler-Sloss told a victim of alleged abuse she did not want to include the allegations in a review of how the Church of England dealt with two paedophile priests because she “cared about the Church” and “the press would love a bishop”, it has been claimed.
The peer made the remarks in a meeting with Phil Johnson, who was abused by priests when he was a choirboy, during a private meeting in the House of Lords in 2011, The Times reported.
It puts fresh pressure on the former High Court judge, who has already faced calls to resign after claims her brother Sir Michael Havers tried to prevent ex-MP Geoffrey Dickens airing claims about a diplomat in Parliament in the 1980s.
Meanwhile a former social services boss said his warnings about people in power abusing children were ignored because there were “too many”.
In a statement, Lady Butler-Sloss insisted that she has “never” put the reputation of an institution ahead of justice for victims.
She said: “Throughout many years of public service I have always striven to be fair and compassionate, mindful of the very real suffering of those who have been victims of crime or other injustice. I have never put the reputation of any institution, including the Church of England above the pursuit of justice for victims.
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