Police drop sex abuse inquiry into bishop ‘smeared’ by Welby
POLICE have dropped a controversial inquiry into an ex-bishop allegedly smeared by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Sussex Police said it is no longer investigating an allegation of child sex abuse against the late George Bell, former bishop of Chichester, referred to them earlier this year.
A spokesman said the investigation had been completed last month.
Claims against Dr Bell – who was widely respected for speaking out against Nazi atrocities and saving Jews from persecution – surfaced in 2012, but were dismissed over a lack of evidence.
Justin Welby was heavily criticised for trashing the reputation of Dr Bell – who died in 1958 – after he ‘rushed’ to accept claims the bishop was a paedophile. An independent review by Lord Carlile last year said the Church of England had ‘hung him out to dry’ on the say-so of a woman who alleged more than 50 years after he died that Dr Bell abused her as a child.
The Church had ‘deliberately’ and publicly vilified the late bishop in a public relations strategy presided over by Dr Welby. It also paid out £16,800 to the woman.
Dr Welby refused to apologise, and further enraged supporters of Dr Bell by saying a ‘significant cloud hangs over his name’.
In January Lord Carlile accused the Church of an ‘unnecessary’ and ‘foolish’ attack on the bishop by making public a second uncorroborated abuse claim almost 70 years old. At the time, the Church refused to give the date of wrongdoing or whether the complainant was a man or a woman. Sussex Police said: ‘The information was assessed and a proportionate investigation has been carried out to clarify the circumstances.
‘This was done thoroughly and sensitively … further police investigation or action is not possible as Bishop Bell died 60 years ago. There are no current safeguarding issues. The matter is now closed as far as Sussex Police are concerned and the Church of England has been informed of this.’
A spokesman for the Church said: ‘Fresh information was received regarding Bishop Bell … In January the National Safeguarding Team announced it was commissioning an independent investigation into this information and we cannot make any further comment until the investigation is completed.’
A representative for Dr Welby did not respond to requests for comment.