New Zealand judge to head UK child sex abuse probe

LONDON (AP) - Britain's government on Wednesday appointed a judge from New Zealand to lead a wide-ranging inquiry into alleged child sex abuse by powerful figures in British society.

The probe, announced in July, aimed to find out whether British public agencies - including the BBC, churches and political parties - had neglected or covered up allegations of child sex abuse from the 1970s to protect politicians and others in power.

But the inquiry has been plagued by controversy from the start, with two previous chairwomen quitting over perceived conflicts of interest.

Home Secretary Theresa May told lawmakers that New Zealand High Court judge Lowell Goddard has been selected after a search that involved more than 150 candidates for the position.

May said she was "more determined than ever" to expose people and institutions who had failed abuse victims. The inquiry would have "the full co-operation of government and access to all relevant information, including secret information where appropriate", she said.

Child protection and the handling of past child sex abuse has dominated British headlines since revelations emerged that well-known figures, including late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile, used their positions to get away with abuse for decades.

Police, social services and local government officials have also been accused of inaction amid investigations into the exploitation and sexual abuse of young girls by gangs of older men in several British cities.

On Wednesday, an official report strongly criticized authorities in the English city of Rotherham, where it emerged last year that at least 1,400 children had been subject to rape, violence and trafficking by gangs of men between 1997 and 2013.

The cabinet leading the city's local government announced that it would step down following the new report.