1. Definition of scope
The child protection in religious organisations and settings investigation was a thematic investigation into the nature and adequacy of current child protection policies, practices and procedures in religious organisations and settings within England and Wales.
The scope of the investigation was as follows:
“2.1. The management of child protection within religious organisations and/or settings, including:
2.1.1. Training, and the understanding of child sexual abuse;
2.1.2. Policies and procedures;
2.1.3. Vetting and barring and regulated activity as identified in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012;
2.1.4. The arrangements in place to respond to allegations of child sexual abuse, including the provision of pastoral support;
2.1.5. Internal processes for auditing, inspection or oversight of the child protection practices and procedures.
2.2. The existing statutory framework for the protection of children from abuse, and its application to religious organisations or settings.
2.3. The existing framework for auditing, inspection or oversight of the practices and procedures by either state or non state institutions.
2.4. Whether there needs to be additional and/or different practices, processes or oversight (whether by way of internal or external oversight by a non state or state body) to ensure that children are protected from child sexual abuse within religious organisations or settings.”[1]
2. Core participants and legal representatives
Counsel to this investigation:
Ex-JW Advocates Opposing Crimes Against Children | |
---|---|
Solicitor | Alan Collins, Hugh James |
Dr Lisa Oakley (Chair of the National Working Group on Child Abuse Linked to Faith and Belief) | |
Solicitor | Richard Scorer, Slater & Gordon |
Ms Yasmin Rehman (Chief Executive Officer of JUNO Women's Aid) | |
Solicitor | Richard Scorer, Slater & Gordon |
Ms Sadia Hameed (Director of Gloucestershire Sisters) | |
Solicitor | Richard Scorer, Slater & Gordon |
Mr (James) Lloyd Evans (Campaigner and advocate. Founder of JWsurvey.org) | |
Solicitor | Richard Scorer, Slater & Gordon |
Migdal Emunah | |
Solicitor | Richard Scorer, Slater & Gordon |
Southall Black Sisters | |
Solicitor | Richard Scorer, Slater & Gordon |
Kol v’Oz | |
Solicitor | Dr Ann Olivarius, AO Advocates |
Home Office | |
---|---|
Counsel | Nick Griffin QC, Amelia Walker |
Solicitor | Daniel Rapport, Government Legal Department |
Ofsted | |
Counsel | Sarah Hannett QC, Alice de Coverley |
Solicitor | Beth Forrester, Ofsted Legal Services |
Charity Commission | |
Counsel | Saara Idelbi |
Solicitor | Felix Rechtman, Charity Commission Legal Department |
Pagan Federation | |
Not legally represented | |
United Reformed Church | |
Not legally represented | |
Baptist Union of Great Britain | |
Counsel | Ijeoma Omambala QC |
Solicitor | Caroline Sanderson, BUGB Legal Services |
Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (CCJW) | |
Counsel | Shane Brady |
Solicitor | Simon Achonu, CCJW Legal Department |
Evangelical Alliance | |
Solicitor | David Smellie, Farrer & Co |
United Synagogue | |
Counsel | Alan Payne QC |
Liberal Judaism | |
Solicitor | Paula Jefferson, BLM |
Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations | |
Solicitor | Paula Jefferson, BLM |
Reform Judaism | |
Not legally represented | |
Interfaith Alliance UK | |
Solicitor | Richard Scorer, Slater & Gordon |
Thirtyone:eight | |
Not legally represented | |
Shema Koli | |
Counsel | Adam Gersch |
Methodist Church of Great Britain | |
Solicitor | Maria Strauss, Farrer & Co |
3. Evidence received by the Inquiry
4. Disclosure of documents
Total number of pages disclosed: 32,822
5. Public hearings including preliminary hearings
Preliminary hearings | |
---|---|
1 | 23 July 2019 |
2 | 14 January 2020 |
Public hearings | |
Day 1 | 16 March 2020 |
Days 2–11 (heard virtually due to COVID-19 pandemic) |
11 May 2020 to 22 May 2020 |
Days 12–16 (heard virtually due to COVID-19 pandemic) |
10 August 2020 to 14 August 2020 |
6. List of witnesses
Forename | Surname | Title | Called/read | Hearing day |
---|---|---|---|---|
PR-A10 | Called |
Day 1 16 March 2020 |
||
Goldsobel | Yehudis | Ms | Called |
Day 2 11 May 2020 |
Marsh | Shelley | Ms | Called |
Day 2 11 May 2020 |
Fetterman | Rebecca | Ms | Called |
Day 3 12 May 2020 |
Adatia | Shital | Mr | Called |
Day 3 12 May 2020 |
Levy | Natan | Mr | Called |
Day 3 12 May 2020 |
Azmi | Moin | Mr | Called |
Day 4 13 May 2020 |
Warraich | Shaukat | Mr | Called |
Day 4 13 May 2020 |
Hussain | Kamran | Mr | Called |
Day 4 13 May 2020 |
Khan | Dilowar | Mr | Called |
Day 4 13 May 2020 |
Al-Dubyan | Ahmad | Dr | Called |
Day 4 13 May 2020 |
Sanghera | Jasvinder | Ms | Called |
Day 5 14 May 2020 |
Baldwin | Richard | Mr | Called |
Day 5 14 May 2020 |
Tilby | Graham | Mr | Called |
Day 5 14 May 2020 |
Knott | David | Mr | Called |
Day 5 14 May 2020 |
Patel | Pragna | Ms | Called |
Day 6 15 May 2020 |
Rattu | Natasha | Ms | Called |
Day 6 15 May 2020 |
Hameed | Sadia | Ms | Called |
Day 6 15 May 2020 |
Singh Gill | Harmeet | Mr | Called |
Day 6 15 May 2020 |
Singh Basi | Jatinder | Mr | Called |
Day 6 15 May 2020 |
Humphreys | Justin | Mr | Called |
Day 7 18 May 2020 |
Oakley | Lisa | Dr | Called |
Day 7 18 May 2020 |
Stone | Rachel | Ms | Called |
Day 7 18 May 2020 |
Hirst | Sally | Ms | Called |
Day 8 19 May 2020 |
Juster | Dean | Mr | Called |
Day 8 19 May 2020 |
Noyes | Phillip | Mr | Called |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
McMullen | Christian | Mr | Called |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Lynas | Peter | Mr | Called |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Marchant | Claire | Ms | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Miller | Chris | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Reddy | Steve | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Byrne | Yvonne | Ms | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Smith | Suzanne | Ms | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Frith | Emily | Ms | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Heaney | Albert | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Fewkes | Richard | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Davies | Andrew | Dr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Vassie | Pascale | Ms | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Srinivasan | Vanajah | Ms | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
O’Mara | Patrick | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Saglani | Sejal | Professor | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Hustler | Jonathan | Reverend Dr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Carter | Tim | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Stygal | Michael | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Parker | Paul | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Angius | Massimo | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Ford | Andrew | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Athanasiou | Ioannis | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Sharma | Vinaya | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Slade | Elizabeth | Ms | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Karim | Zulfiqar Ali | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Kashyap | Rajnish | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Ahmed | Maswood | Mr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Onyuku-Opukiri | Fidelia | Ms | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Abiola | Olu | Dr | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Hackney | Juliet | Ms | Read |
Day 9 20 May 2020 |
Hopper | Catherine | Ms | Called |
Day 10 21 May 2020 |
Spielman | Amanda | Ms | Called |
Day 10 21 May 2020 |
Gould | Matthew | Mr | Called |
Day 11 22 May 2020 |
Brown | Keith | Professor | Called |
Day 11 22 May 2020 |
PR-A5 | Called |
Day 12 10 August 2020 |
||
Davies | Sarah | Ms | Called |
Day 12 10 August 2020 |
Corbett | Duncan | Mr | Called |
Day 12 10 August 2020 |
Evans | Lloyd | Mr | Called |
Day 12 10 August 2020 |
Gillies | Paul | Mr | Called |
Day 12 10 August 2020 and Day 13 11 August 2020 |
Booth | Jane | Ms | Called |
Day 13 11 August 2020 |
Gamble | Jim | Mr | Called |
Day 13 11 August 2020 |
Wilson | Steven | Dr | Called |
Day 14 12 August 2020 |
Baumgarten | Jehudah | Rabbi | Called |
Day 14 12 August 2020 |
Akthar | Nazmin | Ms | Called |
Day 15 13 August 2020 |
Greaves | Daniel | Mr | Called |
Day 15 13 August 2020 |
Dixon | Kate | Ms | Called |
Day 15 13 August 2020 |
Sofer | Yehoshua Aharon | Rabbi | Read |
Day 15 13 August 2020 |
Lazarus | Avi | Rabbi | Read |
Day 15 13 August 2020 |
Caton | Sarah | Ms | Read |
Day 15 13 August 2020 |
Hobman | Penelope | Ms | Read |
Day 15 13 August 2020 |
Kaur Kooner | Narinder | Ms | Read |
Day 15 13 August 2020 |
Grenville | Harvey | Mr | Called |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
PR-H6 | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
||
PR-H7 | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
||
PR-H9 | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
||
PR-H10 and PR-H11 | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
||
PR-H12 | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
||
PR-H13 | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
||
Kakokota | Francis | Mr | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
Butler | Daniel | Mr | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
Snelman | Philip | Mr | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
PR-X1 | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
||
PR-X2 | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
||
PR-X3 | Read |
Day 16 14 August 2020 |
7. Restriction orders
On 7 February 2020, the Chair issued a restriction order under section 19 of the Inquiries Act 2005 granting anonymity to the witnesses known as PR-X1, PR-X2 and PR-X3.[2] The order covered protection of: “their identification and the identification of any individuals to whom they refer in any document, oral evidence, transcript of proceedings, as well as the Inquiry’s investigation and Final Reports”, to any core participant, the public or the press. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that these individuals’ true identities will not be revealed to the Jehovah’s Witnesses or its legal representatives. The order prohibited the publication and disclosure of these individuals’ identities, and extended to material that identifies or tends to identify PR-X1, PR-X2 and PR-X3’s names, images, addresses and telephone numbers.
On 11 March 2020 and 16 July 2020, the Chair issued a restriction order under section 19 of the Inquiries Act 2005 to prohibit the disclosure or publication of the name of any individual whose identity had been redacted or ciphered by the Inquiry, and any information redacted as irrelevant and sensitive, in connection with this investigation, and referred to during the course of evidence adduced during the Inquiry’s proceedings.[3]
8. Broadcasting
The Chair directed that the proceedings would be broadcast, as has occurred in respect of public hearings in other investigations.
9. Redactions and ciphering
Some material obtained for this investigation was redacted, and where appropriate, ciphers were applied, in accordance with Version 3 of the Inquiry’s Protocol on the Redaction of Documents (the Protocol).[4] This meant that (in accordance with Annex A of the Protocol), for example, absent specific consent to the contrary, the identities of complainants and victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and other children were redacted – and if the Inquiry considered that their identity appeared to be sufficiently relevant to the investigation, a cipher was applied.
Pursuant to the Protocol, the identities of individuals convicted of child sexual abuse (including those who have accepted a police caution for offences related to child sexual abuse) were not generally redacted unless the naming of the individual would risk the identification of their victim, in which case a cipher would be applied.
The Protocol also addresses the position in respect of individuals accused, but not convicted, of child sexual abuse or other physical abuse against a child, and provides that their identities should be redacted and a cipher applied. However, where the allegations against an individual are so widely known that redaction would serve no meaningful purpose (for example, when the individual’s name has been published in the regulated media in connection with allegations of abuse), the Protocol provides that the Inquiry may decide not to redact their identity.
Finally, the Protocol recognises that, whilst the Inquiry does not distinguish as a matter of course between individuals who are known or believed to be deceased and those who are or are believed to be alive, the Inquiry may take the fact that an individual is deceased into account when considering whether or not to apply redactions in a particular instance.
The Protocol anticipates that it may be necessary for core participants to be aware of the identity of individuals whose identity has been redacted and in respect of whom a cipher has been applied, if the same is relevant to their interest in the investigation.
10. Warning letters
Rule 13 of the Inquiry Rules 2006 provides:
“(1) The chairman may send a warning letter to any person –
a. he considers may be, or who has been, subject to criticism in the inquiry proceedings; or
b. about whom criticism may be inferred from evidence that has been given during the inquiry proceedings; or
c. who may be subject to criticism in the report, or any interim report.
(2) The recipient of a warning letter may disclose it to his recognised legal representative.
(3) The inquiry panel must not include any explicit or significant criticism of a person in the report, or in any interim report, unless –
a. the chairman has sent that person a warning letter; and
b. the person has been given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the warning letter.”
In accordance with rule 13, warning letters were sent as appropriate to those who were covered by the provisions of rule 13, and the Chair and Panel considered the responses to those letters before finalising the report.