GROOMING gangs whistleblower Maggie Oliver has said a government barrister tried to stop a High Court judge issuing a capping order for legal costs in a move that would “bankrupt” her charity.
Her comments came after the High Court said it would allow a judicial review on whether the government has failed to act on a seven-year inquiry into child sex abuse, in a case brought by a charity she founded.
She said on GB News: “The essence of this it is really, and I think it’s important to say that the judge was very thorough, but he said that there was a legitimate expectation that a seven-year national statutory inquiry that cost £200 million, 7,000 victims put their trust in it, that the public expects those recommendations to be implemented.
“And this goes way beyond grooming rape gangs, which is what I’m known for. This is about protecting and safeguarding every child in the country.
“My charity, the Maggie Oliver Foundation, we’ve taken this forward on behalf of all those who are silenced, who don’t have a voice because most people believe that if you have a statutory inquiry, those recommendations will be implemented.
“The government have fought for 15 months, tooth and nail, against the charity to say we didn’t have a case, we were out of time, that actually there is no obligation for them to do anything in relation to any statutory requirement recommendations.
“What we wanted to do was show transparently and honestly, that promises mean nothing.
“And as we go into now the new statutory national inquiry looking at ethnicity and grooming gangs. The question has to be asked, if 7,000 victims who re-traumatised themselves for seven years did it for nothing, why are we going to have another national inquiry?”
She added: “We had to get private donors to fund this. And could you believe that in court today, the government barrister even wanted us to not get a cost-capping order? It will bankrupt my little charity.”
