UNITED KINGDOM
New Zealand Herald
[with video]
The future of the independent inquiry into child sex abuse was thrown into doubt last night after Dame Lowell Goddard became the third chairman to resign.
Abuse victims said the inquiry had “descended into farce” and said they felt “betrayed” by her shock resignation. The inquiry, which they had complained was already beset by delays, is now in danger of collapse.
The 67-year-old, who is a high court judge in New Zealand, had faced criticism over the scale of her pay and benefits and also the amount of time she has spent abroad since taking on the role in April last year.
She later released a fuller statement:
“I announce with regret my decision to resign as chair of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, effective from today.
“When I was first approached through the British High Commissioner in Wellington in late 2014, and asked to consider taking up the role, I had to think long and hard about it.
“After carefully discussing the matter with the home secretary and her officials and seeking the counsel of those people in New Zealand whose opinions mattered to me, I decided that I should undertake the role, given my relevant experience and track record in the area.
“It was, however, an incredibly difficult step to take, as it meant relinquishing my career in New Zealand and leaving behind my beloved family.
“The conduct of any public inquiry is not an easy task, let alone one of the magnitude of this. Compounding the many difficulties was its legacy of failure which has been very hard to shake off and with hindsight it would have been better to have started completely afresh.
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