WORDS THAT PUT PROBE IN DISARRAY

DR CLAIRE FYVIE, ON THE FEBRUARY 22 MEETING: ‘At the very end of this session, as people were packing up to leave, the chair referred to a person who had described sexual abuse in childhood as the best thing that had ever happened to (them).

‘In my view this remark was totally unacceptable for several reasons. If this was an attempt to lighten the mood, I believe it was a wholly inappropriate attempt, and for the remark to be made by the chair of a public inquiry into child abuse, in my view, demonstrates a shocking level of misjudgement.’

COLIN MACAULAY, QC, LAWYER FOR THE INQUIRY, IN LETTER TO DR FYVIE: ‘The chair, who is a lawyer with a distinguished professional career – during which she has, among other things, strongly represented the interests of persons who have sought compensation in the civil courts in respect of childhood abuse – regards your statements and expressions of opinion as defamatory and actionable. Unless you immediately withdraw them, she will consider raising legal proceedings in respect of them.’

SUSAN O’BRIEN, QC, TO JOHN SWINNEY IN HER RESIGNATION LETTER: ‘My trust that the Scottish Government will actually respect the independence of the inquiry has now gone.

‘You have therefore left me with no alternative to resign. I do so with a heavy heart, as I am clear that there is a real need for this inquiry to take place.’

JOHN SWINNEY IN A SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT STATEMENT LAST NIGHT: ‘The comments made were considered by a leading abuse trauma expert to be totally unacceptable and indicate a belief system that is incompatible with the post of chair of such an inquiry; to be offensive to survivors and to lack any context in which they could be seen as acceptable.’