UNITED KINGDOM
Evening Standard
MARTIN BENTHAM
The former chief lawyer at the independent inquiry into child sex abuse was today cleared of allegations of sexual misconduct after a probe conducted by a former High Court judge.
Sir David Calvert-Smith, who also served as Director of Public Prosecutions before moving onto the Bench, said he had concluded “without hestitation” that there was no truth in allegations that Ben Emmerson QC had committed sexual assault or harassment while working for the inquiry.
His finding follows allegations reported on the BBC’s Newsnight programme that Mr Emmerson – who resigned from the inquiry earlier this year after being suspended over concerns about his conduct – had groped a female colleague in a lift.
Mr Emmerson strongly denied the allegations, but his chambers, Matrix, ordered an investigation to establish whether further action, including a referral to the Bar Standards Board, was needed.
Today, however, it announced that the investigation, carried out by Sir David, had cleared Mr Emmerson.
“Sir David concluded without hesitation that Mr Emmerson had not committed any act of sexual assault or sexual harassment,” Matrix said in a statement.
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