‘£90k payoff’ for the judge who quit child abuse inquiry

THE chairman of the landmark child abuse inquiry could receive up to £90,000 in severance pay – despite quitting the job.

Dame Lowell Goddard, right, who is the third head of the huge investigation to abandon it, was said to have been overwhelmed by the task.

Under the terms of her contract, Dame Lowell was required to give three months written notice before quitting. But Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced she was stepping down immediately – meaning she could be paid for a further three months, the equivalent of about £90,000.

Last night a Home Office spokesman said: ‘We are working on the terms of her departure. Nothing has been decided yet.’

The 67-year-old New Zealand judge, who had no experience of British courts, explained her decision by saying the job had been ‘a struggle in many respects’.

But one inquiry source claimed: ‘She couldn’t cope with the information coming in, she was just overwhelmed.

‘She appeared to have a “24-hour memory” and couldn’t get a grip on the detail – it seemed she couldn’t remember who anyone was, names, dates and so on.’

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has pledged a new chairman will be found and there will be ‘no delay’ in the wide-ranging public inquiry. But former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald yesterday said the inquiry had become ‘unmanageable’ and called on Mrs Rudd to ‘take a whole fresh look at this’.

The Home Office said: ‘The Inquiry has made good progress since Dame Lowell Goddard was appointed, and the Home Secretary has expressed her gratitude.’

Dame Lowell was unavailable for comment.