The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Archbishop was ‘unaware’ of abuse claims
Allegations centre on former leader of holiday camp with church links
The Archbishop of Canterbury has insisted he was “completely unaware” of allegations of physical abuse involving a former colleague at a holiday camp for teenage boys.
Justin Welby spoke out after the Church of England issued an apology over its handling of abuse allegations.
A series of accusations have been levelled against John Smyth, a former leader at the Iwerne camp for teenage boys, which had close links with the church and where Mr Welby worked as a dormitory officer in the late 1970s.
The allegations have come to light following a Channel 4 News investigation into the prominent QC and part-time judge, who is now based in South Africa.
The Iwerne Trust, which oversaw the Christian camps, was made aware of the allegations and compiled a report in 1982 but failed to tell police.
Asked about the allegations, Mr Smyth told the broadcaster: “I’m not talking about that.”
A statement issued on behalf of Mr Welby on Wednesday said: “John Smyth was one of the main leaders at the camp and although the archbishop worked with him, he was not part of the inner circle of friends; no one discussed allegations of abuse by John Smyth with him.”
It went on: “We recognise that many institutions failed catastrophically but the church is meant to hold itself to a far, far higher standard and we have failed terribly. For that the archbishop apologises unequivocally and unreservedly to all survivors.”
Speaking on LBC Radio, Mr Welby said he had been “completely unaware” of any allegations when he worked at the camp.
He said: “I was at that particular camp in the mid ’70s. I was young then – 19 to 21 or 22. I never heard anything at all, at any point.”
On Mr Smyth, the Archbishop said: “I wasn’t a close friend of his. I wasn’t in his inner circle or in the inner circle of the leadership of the camp, far from it.”
The Titus Trust, which took over some functions of the Iwerne Trust, said it was made aware of the allegations in 2014 and informed police and the Charity Commission.
Public school Winchester College, which had connections with Mr Smyth, confirmed it conducted its own investigation into allegations about him.
A statement said: “The then headmaster met John Smyth and required him to undertake never again to enter the college or contact its pupils.”
The college said no report was made to the police at the time, partly at the wish of the parents of the boys involved in the allegations.