by Aidan Radnedge and Noor Qurashi, Daily Mail
A second grooming gang victim has quit a national inquiry panel covering the scandal – amid claims ministers are ‘shying away’ from the racial or religious motivations behind sexual abuse.
Fiona Goddard accused the Home Office of watering down the probe and the government of creating a ‘toxic environment’ for fellow survivors.
And now, Ellie-Ann Reynolds has also resigned, saying the inquiry process had become a ‘cover up’ and she was being ‘kept in the dark’.
Ms Goddard, one of the first to go public about the abuse she endured in Bradford, had shared a letter revealing her wish to leave her role on a victims’ panel playing a part in the UK-wide inquiry ordered by ministers this year after a U-turn.
She made a series of criticisms against the way the inquiry was being handled – including victims’ fears about conflicts of interest among those involved.
Ms Goddard walked away from the Home Office-overseen Victims/Survivor Liaison Panel, describing it as a ‘toxic, fearful environment’.
She warned the inquiry was being expanded too far beyond the original remit of child sexual abuse by grooming gangs – and said she could ‘no longer stay silent’.
Meanwhile, Ms Reynolds said she could not ‘take part in a process that manipulates survivors, censors our voices, and tries to dilute what happened’.