She also rejected calls to stand down: "we have achieved so much and as long as I feel I can contribute to that, I will be staying”
The head of Rape Crisis Scotland has “unreservedly” apologised after a damning review into how one of the charity’s crisis centres was run.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, Sandy Brindley (pictured above) said she would not be standing down as chief executive of the organisation, despite an independent review identifying failures in how an Edinburgh affiliate was run.
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) is autonomous organisation, but it is a member of the Rape Crisis Scotland network.
Last week, Mridul Wadhwa resigned as ERCC’s CEO and a statement was published by the charity’s board.
An investigation, carried out independently on behalf of Rape Crisis Scotland, said Ms Wadhwa had failed to behave professionally in her role.
The review, sparked after an employment tribunal found that an ERCC staff member with gender-critical views had been unfairly constructively dismissed, also found the CEO “did not understand the limits of her authority” and the needs of survivors had not been prioritised.
Speaking on the Drivetime show on Radio Scotland, Ms Brindley said: “I would unreservedly apologise to any survivor who has been let down and to any survivor who didn’t feel able to access the service at Edinburgh and apologise if we have not been clear enough at Rape Crisis Scotland that our absolute priority is that every survivor will get the service they need.”
Ms Brindley said she had no involvement in hiring Ms Wadhwa, who is a trans woman.
She admitted the appointment, made in 2021, has been seen by some as controversial, but added: “most rape crisis centres in Scotland provide support to men, women, trans people and non-binary people.
"There is no inherent reason within that, that you could not have a trans person working within a rape crisis centre.
"I think what is crucial however, is that if you do have a rape crisis service, that is supporting all survivors is that there's dedicated women-only spaces within that."
In the wake of the ERCC investigation, Tory MSP Sue Webber had called on Ms Brindley to resign.
However, she rebuffed this, telling the BBC: “I believe in this movement. We have achieved so much and as long as I feel I can contribute to that, I will be staying.”
