Greville Janner
Greville Janner, Lord Janner of Braunstone, born to Lithuanian Jews on 11 July 1928, was a Labour peer and an active member of the British Jewish community. He was president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the main representative body of the British Jewish community, from 1978 to 1984 [1]. He was credibly alleged to have abused vulnerable children over an extended period. [2]. The allegations were first made in 1991 but no action was taken. They emerged again in the early 2000's. The DPP Alison Saunders decided that he was too ill to prosecute,[3] but a public outcry ensued so the decision was overturned on review and hearings were scheduled. Janner died before court proceedings could formally establish the facts.
Contents
The Hennriques report
On 19 November 2015 the CPS published the report by Sir Richard Henriques into the allegations against Janner [4]. It is a damning indictment of both the police and CPS handling of the affair and nobody reading it can be in any doubt that Janner was indeed a serial abuser of vulnerable teenage boys in Local Authority care. As Robin Ramsay of Lobster Magazine puts it:
The report by Sir Richard Henriques, contains a striking portrait of Janner more or less openly cruising children’s homes and then carrying on his normal life with one particular boy attached to it. It’s as if he wanted to get caught (or... was a psychopath, unable to assess risk). Reading this chronology of complaints to the police not acted upon, prosecutions not begun, it is hard not to conclude that the fix was in. If so, why was Janner being protected? [5]
JC Power 100
In 2008, The Jewish Chronicle declared 'the top spots' on their second annual list of those who 'wield the greatest influence on British Jewry'. Janner is listed at number 20[6]. The criteria for being listed is described as 'those with a vision for Jewish life in this country and who did their utmost to bring it about using either money; persuasion; religion; culture; political or social leadership; or simply inspiring through word and deed'. In order for someone to be listed in the top 20, it was generally necessary to demonstrate influence in more than one of the spheres[7].
The article describes how...
- 'The Labour peer’s high standing in the inaugural Power 100 partly signified his role as an “incubator” of communal talent by giving starting jobs to leaders of the future. That influence may be waning as the indefatigable Cardiff-born political operator approaches 80. He represented Leicester constituencies in the Commons from 1970-97 before moving to the Lords. A modernising Board of Deputies president in the 1980s, he remains an impassioned voice on restitution and other Shoah issues as chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust. He speaks nine languages and is a member of the Magic Circle and the International Brotherhood of Magicians'[8].
Others included in the list were Lord Levy (number 9), Ron Prosor (number 10), Daniel Finkelstein (number 11), John Mann (number 17), Jonathan Freedland (number 18), Julia Neuberger (number 19), Trevor Chinn (number 14), Prime Minister Gordon Brown (number 29) & Poju Zabludowicz (number 30)[9].
Affiliations
- Parliamentary Committee for the release of Soviet Jewry, founded in 1971
- Board of Deputies of British Jews, Director 1979 to 1985
- Inter Parliamentary Council Against Anti-semitism, 1982 - present
- Commonwealth Jewish Council, Founder and president 1982 - present
- British Israel Parliamentary Group, Vice-Chairman
- World Jewish Congress, Vice-President since 1991
- Founder and President of the Inter Parliamentary Council Against Antisemitism (1985- ).
- He is Chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust and of the Lord Forte Charitable Trust.[10]
- Member of both the Magic Circle and the International Brotherhood of Magicians'[11].
Sexual misconduct allegations
In 1991, Leicestershire Police investigated allegations that Janner was involved in child abuse at a children’s home. In November 1991 a former children’s home resident gave evidence at the trial of a convicted paedophile, claiming that Janner regularly abused him. In December 1991 the Crown Prosecution Service stated that they would not prosecute Janner over the allegations. The CPS repeated this decision in 2007 after receiving more testimony of a similar nature.[12]
Trial abandonment
However, in January 2016, the prosecutor Richard Whittam QC told the trial judge, Mr Justice Openshaw, that the proceedings planned for the Old Bailey in April that year. His decision has been widely criticised.[13]
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Henriques report 190116.pdf | report | 19 November 2016 | Richard Henriques | The Henriques Report into police and CPS failures in the matter of alleged abuse of children in care, over an extended period by Greville Janner |
References
- ↑
{{URL|example.com|optional display text}} - ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35321257?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3193659/Lord-Janner-AVOID-court-child-abuse-charges-breach-human-rights.html
- ↑ File:Henriques report 190116.pdf
- ↑ View from the Bridge: Cruising - Lobster Magazine No 72 Summer 2016 edition
- ↑ The Jewish Chronicle JC Power 100: Sacks stays on top, as new names emerge. 9th May 2008. Accessed 16th August 2008
- ↑ The Jewish Chronicle How we made our selection 9th May 2008. Accessed 16th August 2008
- ↑ The Jewish Chronicle JC Power 100: Sacks stays on top, as new names emerge. 9th May 2008. Accessed 16th August 2008
- ↑ The Jewish Chronicle JC Power 100: Sacks stays on top, as new names emerge. 9th May 2008. Accessed 16th August 2008
- ↑ http://www.grevillejanner.org.uk/community.html
- ↑ The Jewish Chronicle JC Power 100: Sacks stays on top, as new names emerge. 9th May 2008. Accessed 16th August 2008
- ↑ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/greville-janner-alleged-victims-delighted-5967727
- ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/15/greville-janner-child-sex-abuse-case-dropped
