Anne Smith, Lady Smith
Elizabeth II | |
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Personal details | |
Born | Anne Mather 16 March 1955 |
Spouse | David Alexander Smith |
Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
Profession | Advocate |
Anne Smith, Lady Smith, PC (born 16 March 1955) is a Scottish lawyer, and a retired judge. Smith is currently the chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
Early life
Smith was educated at
Legal career
Smith worked as standing junior counsel to the
She served as a temporary
Controversies
Smith was appointed as chairwoman of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in July 2016; since February 2017 she has been the sole member of the panel.[3] In 2019, a disability discrimination employment claim was made against Smith at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. The allegation was that Smith discriminated, harassed and victimised a junior advocate of the inquiry when he was diagnosed with cancer, undergoing surgery, during chemotherapy and thereafter to date. Smith denied the allegations. The claim was later withdrawn due to fear of costs.[4][5] On 23 February 2022, an appeal court held that Smith was acting beyond her powers to prevent the BBC from fully reporting on the disability discrimination employment claim against Smith. An order restricting reporting detail of the claim was issued by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry and then challenged by the BBC, first through a judicial review and then an appeal of that review decision. [6]
The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has been criticised for the limited scope of investigations, mounting costs, and delay.[7][8][9]
John Halley, a former Counsel to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, has written a book documenting his experience of disability discrimination by Smith. Halley outlines the cover up and corruption by the Scottish legal profession attempting to silence him because he called for an investigation into the historical child abuse allegations against senior legal professionals. [10]
Personal life
Smith married David Alexander Smith, a solicitor, in 1979, with whom she has a daughter and a son.
References
- ^ Scottish Court Service. Archived from the originalon 23 September 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
- ^ a b c "Trousers-row lawyer to sit on bench". The Scotsman. 26 November 2001. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ^ "Scottish Child Abuse inquiry to be extended". BBC. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ "Advocate John Halley withdraws employment claim against Lady Smith". Scottish Legal News. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Mr J Halley v The Rt Hon Lady Anne Smith Respondent Chair Of The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: 4107805/2019". Gov.UK. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry judge had no power to ban media, court rules". BBC. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ Scott, Marion (26 January 2020). "Child abuse inquiry: Angela Constance defends remit". BBC News. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ Garavelli, Dani (17 August 2014). "Call for inquiry into Scots historical sex abuse". The Scotsman.
- ^ Horne, Marc (26 July 2021). "Child abuse inquiry costs soar as concern raised over compensation panel fees". The Times.
- ^ Halley, John (2023). "A Judicial Monstering: Child Sex Abuse Cover Up And Corruption In Scotland". Amazon. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
External links
- profile at Judiciary of Scotland website