No smoke, no fire

SIR – While it is certainly true, as Paul Hayward says, that “it is all our duty to prioritise child safety” in the football industry (Sport, February 21), it is also our duty to stand up for those falsely accused of sex abuse.

In 2009, the football manager Dave Jones wrote a book, No Smoke, No Fire, about his experience as one falsely accused. It drew its title from the remarks made by the recorder, David Clarke, after the court case against Mr Jones collapsed: “No doubt there will be people who are going to think there is no smoke without fire. I can do nothing about that except to say such an attitude would be wrong”.

In 2015, the late George Bell, former Bishop of Chichester, was falsely accused of sex abuse. This led the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to conclude last month that a “significant cloud” still hangs over him – despite a report by Lord Carlile QC judging that Bishop Bell’s reputation had been wrongfully damaged.

The words of Mr Clarke should haunt the present Archbishop.

The Bell Society Crawley, West Sussex Richard W Symonds