Bishop accused of abuse cover-up gives up safeguarding powers
A BISHOP accused of covering up a child sex abuse scandal will no longer have powers to appoint and screen clergy, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.
The Bishop of Chester, Rt Rev Peter Forster, the longest-serving bishop within the Church of England, discovered that the Rev Gordon Dickenson had been accused of sex offences decades earlier when the allegations were referred to in a letter to the diocese in 2009.
However, Bishop Forster failed to tell police about the allegations against the priest because of promises made by Dickenson. The Bishop left him free to act as a retired priest for a further five years, meaning he was continuing to conduct church services with the diocese’s blessing.
Earlier this month Dickenson was convicted of eight counts of sexual assault after pleading guilty to abusing a boy during the 1970s inside a church hall and in his vicarage.
The 89-year-old, who is now in the early stages of dementia, was jailed for 27 months at Liverpool Crown Court.
Bishop Forster had faced calls to resign following his involvement in the scandal. However, he has announced that he will no longer be responsible for safeguarding within his diocese, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.
The Daily Telegraph has also learnt that the Church of England has commenced formal proceedings regarding Bishop Forster’s conduct. He has been reported to the Church’s disciplinary body by its most senior safeguarding watchdog. Sir Roger Singleton, interim director of the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team, has instigated the start of the Church Disciplinary Measure process.
This can result in a tribunal or hearing overseen by the watchdog, if evidence of malpractice is found.
Following a conversation with the Archbishop of York, Bishop Forster issued a statement saying that he has “formally delegated” all safeguarding responsibility to the Bishop of Birkenhead, Keith Sinclair, with immediate effect.
“I have taken this decision in response to recent comments into my handling of the Gordon Dickenson case in 2009,” he said. “[While] an independent review into my actions takes place, I recognise that I should not continue to lead the safeguarding arrangements in the diocese.”