Abuse inquiry bill rises to £111million as cost to the taxpayer continues to soar
The disclosure comes amid a growing row over the cost of public inquiries which has hit £230million since 2007.
Latest figures show Police Scotland has spent more than £12million in relation to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI), which is chaired by Lady Smith and began back in 2015.
The inquiry itself has cost £98.7million so far meaning the known bill to the public purse is now around £111million – but the true total is likely to be higher when as yet unpublished spending by other agencies such as the Crown Office are included.
Police Scotland's finance department accounts shows that the force's costs in relation to the SCAI, including legal representation, are £12.3million.
Launched in 2015 by the then Education Secretary Angela Constance, the SCAI was aimed at 'shining a light in the dark corners of the past'. But the cost of the SCAI is now rising by more than £1million a month – with no estimate of its completion date.
First Minister John Swinney has suggested the inquiry could also examine the grooming gangs scandal – which could send costs soaring further.
The SCAI has produced a series of hard-hitting reports into a range of institutions including fee-paying Gordonstoun School in Moray, the King's former school. Lady Smith found that children who boarded there were 'exposed to risks of sexual, physical and emotional abuse'.
It also produced a damning report on the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, which ran the notorious Smyllum Park orphanage near Lanark.
The inquiry itself, though, has come under fire and sparked a spin-off probe into how it dealt with a survivor of abuse who later died.
Earlier this year, Melanie Watson told how her brother Kevin Sutherland gave evidence to the SCAI in 2022 but was later shocked to learn his case details were on the web.
She claimed Lady Smith's inquiry was '100 per cent to blame' for his suspected suicide last December, after it published his name online.
The incident is now under review by Jason Beer, KC, further adding to the overall cost. In April, MSPs on Holyrood's finance committee announced they were to open an investigation into the cost of public inquires in Scotland.
Lord Hardie, who led the £13million inquiry into the Edinburgh Tram Project, has also called for a new parliamentary body to be set up to monitor the way the Scottish Government responds to the findings of inquiries it sets up.
He said there is a perception the reports 'sit on ministers' shelves gathering dust', leading to concerns over 'wasted public money'.
Since 2007, five inquiries have been completed – the ICL Stockline disaster, fingerprinting, contaminated blood, Edinburgh's trams and the healthcare acquired infections – at a cost of £42.6million. Five more are ongoing – on child abuse, hospitals, Sheku Bayoh, Covid-19 and rogue doctor Sam Eljamel.
SCAI declined to comment on the Police Scotland figures. A government spokesman said: 'Public inquiries operate independently of government and the chair has a legal duty to avoid unnecessary costs.'
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He went on to say he knew where Mrs Walsh lived in Cardiff before shouting 'the white sheep sh****** b**** will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear'. The court heard the incident had erupted when Iftikhar was told to stop picking up ice with his hands from the bucket at the bar he was drinking at. 'Mr Iftikhar was seen drinking champagne at the onboard bar, where he was talking to cabin crew,' said prosecutor Abdul Kapadia. 'During the defendant's first meal service, the defendant was seen helping himself to ice, leaning over bar he was drinking at, and taking ice with his hands. 'When told to stop, the defendant became irate, and started to film cabin crew with his phone, telling them: 'Do not tell me what to do you b****.' 'When asked by the cabin crew to return to his seat, he then said: 'Don't tell me what to do you racist f-king bitch. I know where you are from in Cardiff.' The pilot was then contacted, and turned the seat belt lights on. 'The defendant then shouted, and said: 'Look at this b**** having the seat belt sign on when there was no turbulence. What the f*** is this b**** doing?' Iftikhar returned to his seat and called crew member Angie Walsh a 'f****** b****.' Mr Kapadia said: 'The defendant's behaviour became worse. The cabin crew discussed a diversion to Turkey. 'The defendant was informed of this possible diversion, to which he replied: 'I don't care. F*** it, go to Turkey. I have contacts. 'The defendant then sat down, but his aggressive behaviour continued. 'His wife was ashamed. His three children were also on-board, and other crew members were called to assist, but the defendant continued shouting and swearing. 'He was slurring his words, with his voice raised. 'He shouted at the cabin crew: "Do you know who I am?" 'The defendant's wife went to the food bar and tried to talk to cabin crew, but the defendant pushed his wife away, and shouted at her not to talk to crew. 'A crew member stabilised the wife's arm to prevent her from falling when she was pushed. 'The defendant then got up, and threatened to fight the cabin crew. 'He grabbed one flight attendant, called Tommy Merchant, and told him to shut up and go away. 'He told Mr Merchant: "Do you know who I am? F*** off. You should know who I am. Come on you heard me. Let's go right now." 'Staff tried to calm the defendant down. The defendant was asked if there was anything the cabin crew could do. 'But Mr Iftikhar leant forward and grabbed Ms Walsh's hand, squeezing it. 'Iftikhar called Ms Walsh a 'f****** white Welsh c***.' Mr Kapadia added: 'The defendant also threatened to blow up the floor of the Avari Lahore Hotel, where the cabin crew were due to stay. 'The defendant knew the specific hotel, but also the hotel room numbers, and threatened the cabin crew with this. 'He told Ms Walsh: 'You will be dead on the floor of your hotel'. 'Iftikhar shouted at Ms Walsh and said: 'The white sheep sh****** b**** will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear. 'He told Ms Walsh: "You will be dragged by your hair from your room and gang raped and set on fire". 'The defendant said this while his three young children were crying and pleading for him to stop.' The details of the hotel turned out to be correct, and Ms Walsh had to stay there overnight, and could not sleep, Mr Kapadia said. Mr Kapadia said when the plane landed in Pakistan no action was taken against Iftikhar. Ms Walsh sat in court accompanied by her sister, Claire Walsh, who is also a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant, in their uniforms. She told how she had to take 14 months off work in a victim impact statement read to the court. She said: 'I feel like what happened that day has changed my life enormously. 'I can't quite believe that one passenger has had this much of an impact on my job, my career and my life. 'I am a strong, brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job. I am well known within the company. 'I have been flying with Virgin Atlantic for 37 years. I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I've even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me. 'But I don't feel strong enough anymore. I was abused for eight hours and 15 mins. It has broken me. It was a very personal attack. 'I was doing everything in my power to protect passengers and the crew from him. I felt exposed and vulnerable, especially as we were 39,000 feet in the air. There was nowhere for me to go. 'There was one moment where I felt I could not cope. I went into the cockpit and had a meltdown. I said to the captain I don't know what to do. 'Even the threat of diverting the plane to Turkey or Baku, Azerbaijan, had no effect. 'I was traumatised by the threat of being gang raped. 'Never in my entire career flying for 37 years have I not been sure what to do. 'I have had the best career in the world for 37 years. But he has taken that away from me.' Iftikhar, of Iver, Buckinghamshire, admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment, in relation to Ms Walsh. He was cleared of assault by beating and threats to kill in relation to Mr Merchant. Ben Walker-Nolan, defending, said Iftikhar was suffering from 'amnesia blood loss', which contributed to what happened. Mr Walker-Nolan added: 'Although there were over 100 incidents over the course of eight hours, the most serious, including threats to kill, were limited. 'The defendant has buried his head in the sand for a long period, and expressed regret. 'He has a long standing drug and alcohol problem which he has not addressed for many years. 'He is a successful businessman who employs a lot of people.' Iftikhar has six previous convictions arising from 15 offences, including common assault in 2004 and drink driving in 2008. He was fined £3,000 in 2021 after he was caught drink driving, as well as being under the influence of cannabis in his Rolls Royce in 2021. Family members wept in the public gallery as the judge Ms Recorder Annabel Darlow KC said: 'Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children, specifically your three young children. 'These were threats made with significant violence. 'Your children had to be comforted by cabin crew staff while you made those threats. 'Ms Walsh has given up a job which she has loved for 14 months, but thankfully has now returned to work. 'This was a sustained incident which involved repeated racist abuse to Ms Walsh. 'You have a lengthy and appalling record of misconduct. You have not addressed the underlying cause of this for many years, that is your drug and alcohol problem. 'Given your lifestyle and your ability to earn money, your harm and risk has not moved. 'This was an appalling incident which has caused long lasting and devastating consequences.' Iftikhar, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey suit with a pink shirt, and a yellow tie wept as he was jailed for 15 months. According to his LinkedIn profile he is the director and founder of recruitment firm Staffing Match. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson commented: 'The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to any disruptive or abusive behaviour on board our aircraft. 'We will always work closely with the relevant authorities and will not hesitate to seek prosecution for those individuals that cause disruption onboard through unacceptable behaviour.' 'We're incredibly grateful to Angie and our cabin crew onboard who dealt with this distressing situation in a calm, courageous and professional manner.
