Call for Rape Crisis Scotland CEO to quit over Edinburgh report

Sandy Brindley has been criticised over the charity's Edinburgh centre

The chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland should stand down over a critical report into the charity's Edinburgh centre, an MSP has claimed.

Sue Webber, the Conservative MSP for the Lothian region, said a "change of culture" was now needed across the organisation and that CEO Sandy Brindley championed policies at the centre of a "caustic situation".

Ms Brindley previously supported Mridul Wadhwa, the chief executive of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) who quit her role after an independent report found the centre did not "protect" women-only spaces.

Rape Crisis Scotland said it would "ensure no repeat of the failings" in Edinburgh through recommendations suggested in the report.

Culture change

Webber said in Holyrood that "women’s safety rather than gender ideology" should take precedence, after it emerged that the Edinburgh centre had not provided women-only spaces for 16 months.

She added: “It’s time for the leadership of the ERCC to step down and, indeed, to allow for an entire change of culture, so too should the chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland who championed the very policies that have been the centre of this entire caustic situation.”

An investigation carried out by an independent consultant found Ms Wadhwa - a trans woman - “did not understand the limits of her authority” and that the needs of survivors were not prioritised.

New referrals to the centre have been paused as a result of the findings.

'Failings took place'

A Rape Crisis Scotland spokeswoman said the charity "apologises unreservedly" to anyone affected by the Edinburgh centre.

She said: "We are committed to ensuring all crisis centres adhere to the National Service Standards.

"We will also implement in whole the recommendations specific to Rape Crisis Scotland made within the report to ensure no repeat of the failings that took place at ERCC and reiterate that the individual needs of survivors should be listened to and respected when they come to any Rape Crisis centre.

"It is important that survivors can make informed choices about the services, and we recognise that for some survivors this includes the choice of a single-sex service."

Kaukab Stewart said that survivors had "been let down" by Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre

The independent review was triggered after an employment tribunal found former ERCC employee Roz Adams had been constructively dismissed over her "gender critical beliefs".

The tribunal heard it appeared that Ms Wadhwa had formed the view that Ms Adams was transphobic, which led to a "completely spurious and mishandled" disciplinary process.

Ms Brindley had previously been criticised by gender-critical campaigners for her backing of the Scottish government's proposed changes to self-ID.

The Scottish government's Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said it was not appropriate for the Scottish government to comment on individual organisations’ employment processes.

In response to an earlier question at Holyrood, she said the needs and safety of rape and sexual assault survivors must be the utmost priority for support organisations and it was “totally unacceptable” they had been let down in Edinburgh.

She also said that survivors had "been let down" by the Edinburgh centre's problems.