Brian Pead speaks at Inquiry into Child Abuse

Today, at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, London, Brian Pead was provided with the opportunity to make an oral application for Core Participant Status (https://www.iicsa.org.uk/news/applications-for-core-participant-status) to Judge Lowell Goddard of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).


Judge Goddard was flanked by the four other members of the Inquiry team. The Chair is assisted by a Panel of four members: Prof. Sir Malcolm Evans KCMG OBE; Ivor Frank; Prof. Alexis Jay OBE; and Drusilla Sharpling CBE. Each is an expert in his or her field and has experience in challenging institutions, and managing, analysing and evaluating complex evidence.


Brian’s speech – a full transcript will be published tomorrow following the Court’s decision to redact parts of it – lasted for approximately 15 minutes and although he gave an impassioned plea for core participant status, it is believed that he will be unsuccessful because of his banned book from Hillsborough to Lambeth, his experiences at Lambeth as a Head teacher and his experiences of child abuse at a children’s home associated with Lambeth in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. It’s all a little too much for the Inquiry.


Brian also offered his services to sit on a panel drawing up realistic safeguards for whistle-blowers. He has previously made the same offer to Sarah Champion at the Labour Party.


Brian said after the hearing: “I was delighted to be given the opportunity to speak to the Inquiry ten years after my persecution began following whistle-blowing in Lambeth Council. I was also pleased that Ben Emmerson (counsel to the Inquiry) commented on the fact that Lambeth Council had – at the time I was there – a culture of persecuting whistle-blowers rather than investigating the abuse I, and others, exposed.”


Ben Emmerson QC is an international lawyer, specialising in European human rights law, public international law and international criminal law. He was a founder member of Matrix Chambers and has 25 years’ experience litigating before international courts and tribunals including the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, and the European Court of Justice.


In his career as a barrister Emmerson specialises in cases involving human rights, international humanitarian law, criminal law, and public law. He has been described as “one of the ten best silks in the country” and “a leading presence in the field of human rights” (Chambers & Partners Directory).
He has conducted more than 30 cases as an advocate appearing before the European Court of Human Rights, acting both for and against the government of the United Kingdom and other Council of Europe Member States.


Brian Pead added: “With his enormous experience in human rights law, Mr Emmerson would be an ideal candidate to assist me with my Official Complaint against HM Government initiated by me on 31 December 2013 and still not dealt with by government.”