POLITICIAN’S SON HITS OUT AT CHILD SEX INQUIRY
THE son of late politician Lord Greville Janner has revealed the “horrendous” effect abuse allegations against his late father have had on his family.
The peer from Cardiff, who died aged 87 in December, is alleged to have abused children over a period spanning more than 30 years and dating back to the 1950s.
Now dad-of-three Daniel Janner has dismissed the inquiry, which is examining charges against the politician, as “a farce” and claimed the alleged victims were motivated by money.
“When the news first broke we thought it would blow over and that it would not blow up,” the 59-year-old QC said.
“The next thing there was a media frenzy.
“I’ve seen the evidence and it is totally unsubstantiated. It goes back to the 1991 trial.”
His comments relate to the case against Frank Beck, who ran care homes in Leicestershire in the 1970s.
Beck was arrested and charged with abusing care home residents but during his trial in 1991 one alleged victim told the defence team that Beck had not abused him – but Janner had.
Over a decade later, in 2002, a report was made to the police alleging abuse by Lord Janner but evidence was never sent to the CPS.
Four years later another alleged victim made new allegations but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided there was not enough evidence.
Finally, in 2013, when Leicestershire Police established Operation Enamel, looking at allegations against Lord Janner and others, more than a dozen others levelled charges against the for- mer MP.
But in 2015 it was decided that prosecution was not in the public interest because of Lord Janner’s dementia.
The decision was eventually overturned but a trial of the facts was abandoned when Lord Janner died, aged 87, on December 19, 2015.
However, allegations have been investigated again as part of an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, launched in 2014, set up to investigate allegations made against local authorities, religious organisations, the armed forces and public and private institutions in England and Wales, as well as people in the public eye.
As a strand of that inquiry, hearings into Lord Janner are due to be held next year.
However, in a surprise move, chair Dame Lowell Goddard stood down from the role this week.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the inquiry would “continue without delay” and a new chairman would be found.
But Daniel Janner has called for it to be scrapped altogether.
“The fact is that there should never have been a separate strand of the investigation for my father,” Mr Janner said.
“It’s unjust and flawed and a manifestation of a frenzy to have a trial by proxy.
“I’m hoping it’s now seen that it was Goddard’s big mistake in having him as a separate strand and that is now reconsidered,” he said.
In a separate twist, a principal source of the allegations against Lord Janner was revealed this week to have had a history of making false sex abuse claims, including against a care home worker named Barbara Fitt.
“We’ve never had the opportunity to put this right,” Mr Janner said.
“And in the Goddard Inquiry we do not get the chance to cross examine, so we are looking forward to the civil case.
“It has been horrendous because we have been dealing with an old man under attack at a time when he is vulnerable.
“We knew how ill he was but the country did not seem to think he was.”
Leicestershire Police visited Daniel to ask whether he had been abused by his father.
When they arrived at his London chambers they showed him a photograph of himself on holiday by a lake and asked again whether he had been sexually abused by his dad.
He expressed his disgust and the officers left.
“We know my father and we know the truth and we have every confidence the truth will come out,” Mr Janner said.
“The police decided he was guilty from the beginning. They never contacted me to ask my side other than to ask, ‘Was I sexually abused?’”
The criminal silk said forces formed cases “around an assumption of guilt”.
“In the present climate alleged victims, whether they have got convictions or whatever their background, they are to be believed,” he said.
“It is a culture of belief in alleged victims, however incredible.”
As more allegations were made the more it was considered a possible serial crime.
“But none of these people came forward in 1991 when these allegations first came out,” Mr Janner said.
At the time of his death from Alzheimer’s disease Lord Janner was facing a trial of the facts on 22 charges from 13 complainants.
A growing number have launched civil claims seeking damages from Lord Janner’s £2m estate.
“I love my dad and I know the truth,” Mr Janner said.
“He was never interviewed about these allegations because he had dementia.”
He had “no idea” whether his father was aware of the assertions made against him.
“It was a total blessing if he did not,” he said.
He believes there are serious flaws in the claims – made for “easy money, easy compo”.
“The most serious offence was supposed to have happened over three days,” Mr Janner said.
“I’ve looked at his passport and it shows he was in Australia.”
It has been reported many of the compensation claims have been filed by people with criminal records for sex offences, dishonesty and fraud.
“Now I am going to fight back,” Mr Janner said.
“The British people understand fairness and truth and that will come out.
“I’m upset that the Goddard Inquiry has chosen my father as a separate strand as a named per- son when we do not even get a chance to cross examine.”
The country was in “a terrible situation where people can make false allegations”.
“There is an assumption of guilt when he has never been convicted,” Mr Janner said.
“That is not fair. He is a dead man and he cannot answer back.”
He said he felt for politicians like ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor and former Home Secretary Leon Brittan.
Mr Proctor was exonerated of child abuse claims while Mr Brittan died with allegations hanging over him.
“We are not having anything to do with Goddard because it is a total farce,” Mr Janner said.
“We are going to deal with it in the civil case where we can cross examine.”
Mr Janner insisted he had “absolute sympathy for people who have been abused”.
“But in this case it is an unquestionable false accusation,” he said.
“And in this case they are doing it for money.”