Victims of Historic Child Abuse in Scotland Have Lost Faith in Government Probe and Want Their Own Inquiry

By James Moncur
Daily Record
May 4, 2017

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/victims-historic-child-abuse-scotland-10350757

Andy Peacher of the Fresh Start Foundation wants survivors to launch their own inquiry

Survivors are planning to hold their own independent inquiry into historic child abuse in Scotland.

Some victims’ groups have lost faith in the Scottish Government ’s under-fire probe and held a summit in Perth yesterday to discuss staging their own inquiry.

Andy Peacher of the Fresh Start Foundation, set up to help child sex abuse victims achieve justice, said: “Many survivors want to give evidence but are scared – there is a lack of confidence in the system. How can the inquiry claim to be independent when it’s government funded?

“We want to get all survivors together and launch our own, fully independent inquiry.”

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has already cost over ?3million and is due to begin hearing testimony this month. But it has been beset with problems, with three of the original four-person committee resigning.

It is now being led solely by supreme court judge, Lady Anne Smith.

A spokesman for the SCAI stressed it was independent of the Scottish Government.

He added: “The inquiry is committed to ensuring that the experiences of survivors are central to its work.”