REPORTS have been laid before Parliament detailing how the Charity Commission mishandled investigations into sexual abuse cases at two organisations.

In one case, failings by the watchdog led to complainant Lara Hall feeling “suicidal,” the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said yesterday.

Ms Hall, a survivor of human trafficking and sexual abuse, experienced an inconsistent approach during an investigation into a former head of the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) who had entered an “abusive and inappropriate relationship” with her.

She first encountered the BPCA while in an abusive relationship in Pakistan, after being trafficked there from Australia.

Charity chairman Wilson Chowdhry initially promised to help her and champion her cause.

In a separate case, grooming victim Damian Murray said he had felt “dismissed” and “made to feel a nuisance” by the Charity Commission, after he made a complaint in relation to historic abuse at the Marist Fathers, a religious order and school in north-west England.

The charity said it had been aware of the abuse since 1993, but no allegations had been reported until the victim made a legal complaint in 2014.

Both survivors have waived their right to anonymity.

The ombudsman criticised the commission’s failure to act on recommendations, including a review of its case handling, risk guidance and communications.

It said putting the reports to MPs would encourage the watchdog to comply.

Last week, Parliament was told that the commission had tried to legally delay the report being considered by MPs, claiming that the ombudsman had “overstepped” its remit.

A Charity Commission spokesman said the watchdog accepted that there were “lessons for the commission to learn from these two sensitive cases,” adding that it had apologised to both complainants and paid compensation.

The BPCA and the Marist Fathers were contacted for comment.

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Mr Chowdhry resigned from his post after his “abusive and inappropriate” relationship with Ms Hall came to light.

A safeguarding organisation complained to the commission in 2019, which categorised her case as “low risk,” but it did not record its rationale for this decision.

Mr Chowdhry has since gone on to found the UK RAAC Campaign Group and denies wrongdoing.

Mr Murray, 66, who complained to the commission in 2017 about his experience with the the Marist Fathers, said the charity was concealing abuse by a former teacher so as not to hinder fundraising efforts.

An arts building at the now-closed St Mary’s College in Lancashire was named after the priest in 2008. He has since died.

Ms Hall said: “The Charity Commission’s repeated failures have caused me profound pain and ongoing injustice.

“Instead of holding a trustee to account for appalling sexual exploitation, it questioned my experience and forced me to relive my worst trauma.

“How can survivors feel safe reporting abuse if they think they will be treated like I have?”

She said that by trying to block Parliament from seeing the reports, the commission had “attempted to avoid scrutiny — striking at the heart of accountability in our democracy.”

“Even now, it refuses to accept responsibility or act to put things right,” she said.

Mr Murray said: “For over seven years, the Charity Commission has refused to act upon my complaint about the concealment of child sexual abuse.

“The Charity Commission has doggedly resisted all efforts by me, and latterly the Parliamentary Ombudsman, to encourage it properly or promptly to discharge its statutory responsibilities, choosing rather to shield the charity and its trustees from scrutiny and accountability.”

PHSO chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath said: “The Charity Commission indicated throughout our investigations that they did not agree with our findings.

“They have not complied with the bulk of our recommendations, despite our best efforts and our willingness to work with them to ensure compliance.

“It is important that the commission provides a full apology for their failings and reassures Lara and Damian that they will put things right by complying completely with our recommendations.

“They have not done this so far.”