Archbishop ‘appalled’ by abuse failings

ARCHBISHOP JUSTIN WELBY has said he was ‘appalled’ by ‘betrayals and failings’ in the Church’s handling of child abuse allegations after Robert Coles, 71, a retired priest from the Diocese of Chichester, was jailed for eight years.

In a statement issued on Sunday Bishop Wallace Benn denied there had been any ineptitude or cover-up on his part and revealed that complaints made against both him and the former Archdeacon of Lewes (the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade) under the Clergy Discipline Measure had been dismissed by the Archbishop of York.

Coles admitted 10 counts of indecent assault and another serious sexual offence against three boys aged between 11 and 16. The offences took place between 1979 and 1984 while he was serving in the Diocese of Chichester.

In his statement, Bishop Benn says he and Archdeacon Reade first interviewed Coles in 1997 in connection with a police investigation. During the interview Coles admitted sexual activity with a minor who was a server. The matter was reported to the Child Protection Adviser, Mrs Janet Hind, and to the Bishop’s Staff Meeting. Under the Diocesan Child Protection Policy, the Child Protection Adviser was the sole point of contact with external agencies, including the Police.

Neither Mrs Hind nor the Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Rev Eric Kemp, advised Bishop Benn to contact the Police. Correspondence between Bishop Benn and Mrs Hind made it clear that she was in contact with the Police about Coles and that she was fully aware of the information Coles had revealed to the Bishop and the Archdeacon.

In 2002 Bishop Benn received a telephone call from a clergyman in another diocese to report another allegation against Coles. He informed the then Diocesan Child Protection Adviser, Mr Tony Sellwood, of the allegation but was not told or instructed to inform the Police. It remained Diocesan Protection policy that Mr Sellwood should liaise with the Police.

In 2012 the Chairman of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Group, Mr Keith Akerman, and the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer, Mr Colin Perkins, tried to make a complaint against Bishop Benn under the Clergy Discipline Measure but this was dismissed by the Archbishop on the grounds that Diocesan regulations required allegations be reported to the Child Protection Adviser and that Bishop Benn had followed these rules.

There was no evidence to show that Mrs Hind had considered whether the matter should be reported to the Police and no evidence that Bishop Benn had disregarded advice from Mrs Hind.

An appeal against the Archbishop of York’s ruling was dismissed by the Rt Hon Lord Justice Mummery, sitting as President of Tribunals, on 29 January, 2013.

In November, 2012, Bishop Peter Ball, a former Bishop of Lewes, was arrested on allegations of child abuse. The arrest followed a Visitation of the Diocese of Chichester ordered by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Rowan Williams. The Archbishop’s Commissaries reported that local safeguarding measures had been ‘woefully short’ for two decades.

In early 2012 Baroness Butler-Sloss issued a report on child abuse in Chichester in which she stated: “There was across the diocese (and probably in many other dioceses) a lack of understanding of the seriousness of historic child abuse.”

In a statement on the sentencing of Coles, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, said: “I believe that the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults should be the highest priority of all parts of the Church, and that any failings in this area must be immediately reported to the Police.”

He revealed that the Commissaries appointed by his predecessor were still at work in the Diocese.

The Diocese of Chichester, in a statement after Coles had been sentenced, claimed ‘we have worked closely with the Police throughout their investigations and co-operated in every way possible’.

The Bishop of Chichester in his statement admitted that “although Robert Coles has been judged, the matter is by no means concluded”. He expressed the view that all who had involvement in the case ‘should examine their consciences’. He promised that: “We have made a public undertaking that we, as a Diocese, will tell the truth. It is essential that justice is seen to be done.”

So far there has been no indication of further abuse cases being unearthed by the Commissaries.