Death Threats After Files Published Online

UNITED KINGDOM
Sky News

By Afua Hirsh, Social Affairs Editor

Survivors of child sex abuse have received death threats after their personal details and confidential communications with an abuse inquiry were published online.

Members of the group have written to the Home Secretary expressing “grave concern” about the publication of documents they say were leaked by a member of an abuse inquiry panel.

The Home Affairs Select Committee – the panel of MPs tasked with scrutinising the creation of an inquiry into historical child sex abuse allegations, and chaired by Keith Vaz – then published the documents on its website, it was claimed.

The group says that names and contact details of panel members have since been redacted from the site.

Sky sources claim Home Secretary Theresa May has written to Mr Vaz describing her “dismay” at the Committee’s publishing of the documents. The source added Mr Vaz was now in the process of apologising to 18 members of the group.

One abuse survivor and his young daughter were approached by a convicted abuser after their details were published, it was claimed.

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