Vicar’s child abuse ‘could have been stopped if clergy listened to victims’

A vicar who abused children could have been stopped sooner if members of the clergy in the Church of England had listened to the victims and their families, a report has said.

The Rev Graham Gregory, who died in prison in 2019, was a “prolific, determined and tenacious abuser of children during the course of his ministry”, the Independent Learning Lessons Case Review said.

Gregory, who had a 30-year career in the Church, was jailed for three years in 2014 after a historical indecent assault of a girl under 13, and was jailed for four years and four months in 2018 for historical indecent assaults against three other children.

The abuses took place in the dioceses of Southwark and Sodor and Man.

Ray Galloway, who led the Jimmy Savile Inquiry at Leeds General Infirmary, carried out an independent review after being commissioned by the Church’s National Safeguarding Team.

After the publication of his report yesterday, Mr Galloway said Gregory was a “determined and persistent abuser of children who actively sought out and created opportunities to harm his victims”.

He said in a statement: “This lack of action continued for almost 50 years. Indeed on at least one occasion an allegation was actively suppressed by a senior member of the clergy and Gregory merely moved to another diocese.

“That allegation contributed to Gregory’s conviction when it was reasserted some 25 years later.”

The report points out that the Child Protection Policy for the Church of England was not introduced until 1995, the year of Gregory’s retirement, and that safeguarding “did not benefit from the same level of awareness and profile” as exists now.

Lead safeguarding bishop Jonathan Gibbs described the report as a “stark and harrowing reminder” of how the Church failed the victims.

He added he will be taking recommendations for a full discussion and response to the National Safeguarding Steering Group.

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This lack of action continued for almost 50 years