Goddard inquiry to hold hearings on abuse linked to church and Rochdale Council

By The Press Association16th March 2016News EnglandChild Abuse, Goddard Inquiry, News England, Non-Recent / Historic Abuse, Rochdale, Sexual Abuse

The public inquiry into historical child sex abuse will hold preliminary hearings linked to its investigations into allegations that exploitation took place within the Anglican Church and through Rochdale council.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is investigating the appropriateness of child protection policies and practices within the Church of England, the Church in Wales and other Anglican churches in the two countries.

Investigations will focus on the prevalence of child sex abuse, the adequacy of previous case reviews and the extent to which the culture within the Anglican Church inhibited the exposure and prevention of exploitation.

The inquiry will examine sexual abuse associated with the Diocese of Chichester, as well as failings over Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Bishop of Gloucester who was jailed for 32 months in October 2015 after pleading guilty to historical sex offences, 22 years after originally being investigated and cautioned by police.

A preliminary hearing, chaired by inquiry head Dame Lowell Goddard, will take place at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Wednesday morning.

It will hear submissions from counsel to the inquiry on the scope of the investigation, along with applications from people and organisations wanting to be designated “core participants”, as well as timings for future proceedings.

In the afternoon a second preliminary hearing will focus on “procedural matters” relating to the investigation into allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation at Cambridge House Boys’ Hostel, Knowl View School and other institutions related to Rochdale Borough Council.

That strand of the investigation will consider the extent to which children with special needs, disabilities or other vulnerabilities may have been at greater risk of sexual abuse and whether their vulnerabilities led to failings in protecting them.

Investigations into Rochdale will also examine claims that boys were subject to sexual abuse by individuals including former MP Cyril Smith.

The inquiry, expected to take five years, will look at various institutions and public figures and scrutinise the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Labour Party, and the security and intelligence agencies, as well as people of public prominence associated with Westminster.