CHILDREN in Need chairwoman Rosie Millard has quit over payments made to a scandal-hit charity whose ex-boss is convicted paedo.
The 59-year-old accused the BBC charity for disadvantage kids of “institutional failure” in an explosive letter after £460,000 of grants were awarded to controversial group LGBT Youth Scotland.
HARRY RICHARDSChildren in Need chairwoman Rosie Millard[/caption]
BBCChildren in Need chief executive Simon Antrobus[/caption]
It has been hit by a series of child sex abuse scandals.
She quit after six years in the role days after Children in Need raised £39.2million during last Friday’s fundraiser.
Ms Millard also slammed the organisation’s “dithering” chief executive Simon Antrobus for his response to revelations that hundreds of thousands were donated to LGBTYS.
Children in Need began giving the charity cash months after then chief executive James Rennie was convicted in 2009 of sexually assaulting a baby boy as part of a sordid paedo ring.
Then this year, Andrew Easton – who co-wrote a “coming out guide” for LGBTYS – was convicted of sharing indecent images of children, including of newborn babies.
The grants to the youth group were halted in September after Ms Millard said she alerted Children in Need to the Rennie case in May, The Times reports.
She accused Mr Antrobus of failing to respond with the “necessary level of seriousness” to the scandal.
She also claimed the charity chief only cut funding over fears of bad publicity.
Ms Millard said on hearing about the scandal, Mr Antrobus said it ruined his enjoyment of a Bruce Springsteen concert.
In her letter, Ms Millard said: “That they could write this about the reported rape of a child is astonishing.”
In a statement she added: “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as chair of BBC Children in Need.
“Witnessing the incredible impact of our supporters’ generosity on the lives of children and young people has been truly inspiring.
“I’m immensely proud of the collective achievements we’ve made together.”
BBC Director General Tim Davie praised Ms Millard for her leadership.
He said: “She has had a significant impact on countless children and young people and we wish her all the best for the future.”
Mhairi Crawford, chief executive of LGBTYS, told The Times Ms Millard’s resignation letter “demonstrates the ideologically driven nature of her attacks on our organisation”.
Rennie, a former SNP government advisor, from Edinburgh, was jailed for life, assaulted a three-month-old baby he was babysitting for.
As part of one of Britain’s worst paedo rings, he also conspired to gain access to children to abuse them, including accessing a dedicated email account while at work, a court heard.
Easton, meanwhile, was convicted of downloading and distributing indecent images of children.
He was found with dozens of video files, some containing the most serious category of child abuse images.
He was convicted in August, but avoided prison and was given a Community Payback Order.
LGBTYS has suspended the guide written by Easton.
In a statement, a BBC Children in Need spokesperson said: “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of all children and young people.
“When allegations were made in relation to LGBT Youth Scotland their grant was immediately suspended with the full support of the board and a review began.
“In order to do this thoroughly and fairly the review took three months and culminated in the decision to withdraw funding.
“The Children in Need board of trustees are supportive of the actions taken by the CEO and senior leadership team and stand by the decisions made.
“Rosie at all times retained the board’s support.
“In the wake of her resignation, in order to ensure any lessons learnt are captured, the trustees have instigated a review of ways of working between the board and executive in which Rosie has kindly agreed to participate.”
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