RAPE GANG VICTIM QUITS INQUIRY — FEARS BEING SILENCED

 

A survivor of grooming gang abuse has resigned from a Home Office panel, citing concerns that she and other victims are being silenced once again. Fiona Goddard, a victim from Bradford, walked away from the Victims/Survivor Liaison Panel, which supports the Government's national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal. This inquiry was ordered by Sir Keir Starmer earlier this year, following a damning report by Baroness Casey that exposed ongoing failures in how the state addresses the issue.

In her resignation letter, Ms Goddard highlighted the "secretive conduct and conditions imposed on survivors" that have created a "toxic, fearful environment". She described a "multitude of issues" driving her decision, including "serious concern" with the inquiry's process. Ms Goddard wrote: "The dynamics of this inquiry, including potential chairs and progress, should have been conducted openly and honestly by the Government, and survivors should have had the choice to voice their opinions if they decided to.

"Instead, the secretive conduct and conditions imposed on survivors has led to a toxic, fearful environment, and there is a high risk of people feeling silenced all over again.

"As such, I have made the difficult decision to leave the Victims/Survivor Liaison Panel, and not continue with the meetings this week."

Ms Goddard's frustrations extended to the panel's composition and external influences. She raised alarms about "certain members of the panel" and their connections with "members of the Labour Government" which "presents conflict of interest and incentives". She also criticised the "condescending and controlling language" directed at survivors. In one striking example from her letter, she recounted being promised consultation on selecting the independent chair, only to be sidelined: "One of my main issues was being told in the beginning that the survivors on the panel were to be consulted on the independent chair, and yet when the time came we were told it was ‘first come first served’, and many did not make it into the meeting," the letter stated.

"Each survivor has valuable experience to bring to the table after years of being ignored, derided and silenced.

"To tell them their voices mattered, and then once again shut them out no doubt left some survivors feeling like they did before: unheard and unimportant.I hope that in leaving the panel, someone else will be given the opportunity to make sure their voice is heard."

The timing of her resignation coincides with revelations about the shortlist for the inquiry's chair: police officer Jim Gamble and social worker Annie Hudson. Ms Goddard warned that appointing either would amount to "once again be letting services mark their own homework". This sentiment echoes broader calls from campaigners for a legally trained leader. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick, for instance, argues the chair needs "deep experience" of criminal cases to navigate the "deeply complex" evidence.

Ms Goddard's letter closed on a note of cautious optimism: "My final hope is that the home office and government also start to consider the survivors and the potential impact of their treatment, and approach the process going forward in a more open, honest, and respectful manner."

This scandal's roots run deep. In January, the Government pledged at least five local inquiries, the reopening of cold cases by police, and a rapid audit led by Baroness Casey, whose June findings laid bare persistent shortcomings. The audit revealed patchy data collection across police, local government, and health services, with ethnicity data missing for two-thirds of identified gang abusers. Sir Keir Starmer responded by committing to a national inquiry into institutional failures.

As yet, the Home Office has not commented despite approaches from various media outlets. Ms Goddard's bold step underscores the urgency for genuine survivor involvement, lest the inquiry repeat the very mistakes it seeks to expose.

Statement in the House of Commons, by home office minister Jess Phillips, updating MPs on government efforts to tackle child sexual abuse, on Tuesday 8 April. That was over 6 months ago.