Daniel Janner QC has lashed out at the inquiry into allegations of child sexual abuse by his late father, Greville Janner, calling it a “vindictive, wasteful witch-hunt”.

Lord Janner of Braunstone died in 2015, suffering from acute dementia, but the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) decided to treat allegations against him as a separate strand of its overall inquiry. 

“My father was totally innocent. This should never have been a separate strand of the inquiry. Apart from the public expense, this report is not going to tell us anything we don’t already know. This is simply a witch-hunt of an innocent man,” said Mr Janner.

He added that the hearing was conducted “behind closed doors”, and spoke of “immense hurt and frustration” for himself and his family that the matter has taken so long.

The barrister has now taken to recording on social media how many days have elapsed since the conclusion of the inquiry into allegations against Lord Janner, without the publication of any report. This week his tally reached 180 days.

A spokesman for the IICSA said that the “public hearings for the Institutional responses to allegations of child sexual abuse involving Lord Janner' investigation concluded in October 2020”. The spokesman said the full investigation report was due out in autumn this year, though he could not be more specific. 

This part of the inquiry was considering responses from “the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, Leicestershire County Council, the Labour Party, Parliament, government departments and the security and intelligence services. The investigation considered whether any attempts were made to exert improper influence in order to hinder or prevent an institution from effectively investigating or otherwise responding to the allegations”.