Janner: Lawyer says alleged victims want truth not money
LAWYERS acting for Lord Greville Janner’s alleged victims have rejected a claim by his family that the men were motivated by a desire for compensation.
Law firm Slater and Gordon spoke out in response to comments made by the Janner family in a Sunday newspaper.
The family, who insist the former Labour MP for Leicester West was innocent of any wrongdoing, were reacting to a decision by law firms acting for nine complainants to drop a civil action against the peer’s estate.
The death of the veteran Labour politician – who was accused of 22 sexual offences against boys between 1963 and 1988 – ended the prospect of his alleged victims’ evidence being tested in a criminal court.
However, a civil hearing would have heard the allegations and may have issued a ruling on whether or not the alleged abuse took place.
Instead, their allegations will be examined by the Governmentordered Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
Janner was accused of 22 sexual offences against boys between 1963 and 1988
Two law firms, representing nine alleged victims, have confirmed they are no longer pursuing the matter in the civil court.
The Janner family told the Sunday Times: “Although our beloved father never lived to see the claimants abandon each and every one of their claims, we now have the peace of mind that our father’s reputation as a man who devoted his life to good has been restored.”
They restated their belief that IICSA, which is examining how the Janner allegations were handled by the police and other authorities, should drop its investigation.
Richard Scorer, from Slater and Gordon, who represents six of the men whose civil action has been withdrawn, cited a report by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques.
Issued in January last year, it concluded the former Leicester MP should have been charged with offences against boys in 1991, 2002 and 2007 and had not been so because of the inadequacy of decisions by either the Crown Prosecution Service or Leicestershire Police.
Mr Scorer said: “Many of my clients made very serious allega- tions of abuse by Lord Janner decades ago.
“If they were motivated by compensation, why didn’t they bring claims at that time?
“It was not until it seemed their only route to justice, having seen criminal proceedings repeatedly dropped, did they pursue civil action against Lord Janner.
“Caricaturing alleged victims as only seeking compensation is an attempt to distract from the damning findings of Sir Richard Henriques, whose detailed investigation concluded authorities badly failed alleged victims over many years because they had sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of convicting Lord Janner for serious offences but decided not to prosecute.”
Another of Lord Janner’s alleged victims, John Gater – who has waived his right to anonymity – said: “The decision to abandon the civil case does not mean he has been exonerated.
“I have told my solicitor that I would give the money to charity.”
Lord Janner who represented Leicester West before taking a seat in the House of Lords, was found to be unfit to stand trial in a criminal court because of illness, including dementia, shortly before he died.