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Lord Janner civil case dropped
Late peer's family: 'allegations against our late father were wholly unsubstantiated and an appalling injustice'
May 28, 2017 11:15
Late peer's family: 'allegations against our late father were wholly unsubstantiated and an appalling injustice'
May 28, 2017 11:15The family of the late Lord Janner have said that the peer’s reputation has been “restored” after six men who alleged they were abused by him dropped their civil cases against his estate.
The three children of the prominent politician, Daniel, Laura and Marion, have always maintained that their father was innocent of all the charges against him.
In a joint statement to the Sunday Times, the three thanked “all those who stood by our family through this nightmare. The allegations against our late father were wholly unsubstantiated and an appalling injustice.
“Although our beloved father never lived to see the claimants abandon each and every one of their claims, we now have the peace of mind that our father’s reputation as a man who devoted his life to good has been restored.”
Daniel Janner added: “All these claims were dropped because they were based on false allegations. Criminals had tried to frame my innocent late father. They knew that their hurtful lies would not stand up to cross-examination.”
In an interview with the JC earlier this year, Mr Janner had expressed the intention of family members to take part in the now-withdrawn civil case, saying ““we will cross-examine them, and we will win”.
He also suggested that further allegations made since his father’s death were made “with the intention of making fraudulent claims for compensation”. He referred to the alleged evidence against his father as “manifest lies”, pointing out, for example, that Lord Janner’s passport proved him to have been in Australia during a three-day period specified by one of the alleged victims.
Meanwhile, the Leicester Mercury reported that the six men in question decided to take this course after receiving “categorical assurances” from the head of the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse. Lord Janner served as an MP in Leicester for 27 years, retiring in 1997 and receiving a peerage later the same year.
Speaking to the Mercury, Richard Storer, the lawyer representing the six men, said Baroness Alexis Jay had confirmed that she would “hear the allegations of abuse by the late Lord Janner as part of her wide reaching inquiry, and that the actions of the various agencies involved will be scrutinised in detail.
"As a result, our clients will focus their efforts on working with the inquiry to discover the truth of what really happened rather than continue to fight the civil cases against Janner's estate which are at risk of being ruled 'out of time'."
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