Child Sexual Abuse inquiry chairwoman resigns

Dame Lowell Goddard

Dame Lowell Goddard, the chairwoman of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has resigned.

The inquiry is focused, in part, on allegations that boys who attended or resided at Cambridge House Boys’ Hostel and Knowl View School in Rochdale were subject to sexual abuse by specific individuals, including by former Liberal Party MP Cyril Smith.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "I can confirm that Dame Lowell Goddard wrote to me today to offer her resignation as Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and I have accepted.

"I want to assure everyone with an interest in the inquiry, particularly victims and survivors, that the work of the inquiry will continue without delay and a new chair will be appointed.

"I would like to thank Dame Lowell Goddard for the contribution she has made in setting up the inquiry so that it may continue to go about its vital work."

Dame Goddard, a high court judge from New Zealand, was appointed chairwoman of the long-delayed inquiry into child sex abuse in February, after two previous choices stood down over concerns about their links to establishment figures.

Baroness Butler-Sloss stood down in July 2014 amid questions about the role played by her late brother Lord Havers, who was attorney general in the 1980s.

Dame Fiona Woolf, Baroness Butler-Sloss's replacement, resigned in October 2014, after she was criticised for her links to highly placed individuals, including former home secretary Leon Brittan, who died in 2015.