UNITED KINGDOM
Sky News
Tom Parmenter
News Correspondent
The Goddard Inquiry into child sexual abuse still hasn’t heard its first evidence, but it has already lost the trust of some survivors.
Esther Baker is one of them. In the early days she saw the inquiry as an opportunity to finally disclose her wretched childhood.
Being abused simply became part of her routine. She learnt to cope by repeating nursery rhymes or her times tables in her head as countless men took advantage of her.
The promises in recent months from politicians vowing to “uncover the truth” and “leave no stone unturned” gave her the hope that this time might be different.
She engaged with the process, took part in meetings and even received a letter from Home Secretary Theresa May thanking her for her “invaluable assistance”.
Ms Baker though has lost faith in the process.
Justice Lowell Goddard was the third choice to lead the inquiry and was brought over from New Zealand to ensure she was independent of the British establishment, which finds itself at the centre of many allegations of child abuse.
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