Leading preacher who mixed in high society suffered shocking fall from grace
THE son of a former Cabinet minister, a village vicar, and the “acquaintance” of a QC who had a predilection for beating young boys.
Jonathan Fletcher, 77, is a man of many hats. However, since he was expelled from the community of the Wimbledon church where he used to minister earlier this year – the place that had cemented his reputation as one of the Church of England’s leading evangelical preachers – his fall from grace has been one of the most shocking within the establishment.
As the son of Lord Eric Fletcher, a Labour politician who served in Harold Wilson’s first government, Mr Fletcher was well-accustomed to mixing with the upper echelons of society. This was a theme that would continue throughout his education at Repton School, Hertford College at the University of Oxford, and Wycliffe Hall, a theological training college.
In 1983, he became a member of Nobody’s Friends – the High Church private dining club for senior clerical and lay leaders that meets at Lambeth Palace and has been criticised for facilitating a powerful “old boys” network.
Mr Fletcher was vicar at Emmanuel church in Wimbledon from 1982 to 2012, which is where current allegations of spiritual abuse were levelled against him.
However, he also held a myriad of other responsibilities as well as links with conservative evangelical groups.
His brother, the Rev David Fletcher, was the former minister of St Ebbe’s Church, Oxford. He also ran the Iwerne Christian summer camps. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, served as a “dormitory officer” at the camps in the Seventies. Mr Fletcher attended the camps and went on to become a dorm leader.
John Smyth QC, the chairman of the Iwerne Trust, which ran camps during the Seventies and Eighties, also attended. Smyth was later accused of subjecting young boys to vicious sadomasochistic beatings. He died of a heart attack aged 77 in August 2018.
This summer The Daily Telegraph unmasked Jonathan Fletcher as the leading Church minister banned from preaching by the Bishop of Southwark in 2017 following allegations of spiritually abusing vulnerable adults. He repeatedly flouted the ban and gave talks around the world. He later admitted subjecting a prayer group to naked beatings as “light-hearted forfeits” if they failed to maintain “healthy and holy living” in a “system of mutual encouragement”.
His alleged victims claim that such beatings were reminiscent of those which Smyth administered.
Mr Fletcher retired as a minister before allegations were lodged against him five years later, triggering a police investigation.
The Church received further allegations in September 2018. Officers concluded a police investigation was not required. Following the allegations, Mr Fletcher was asked and agreed to withdraw from all aspects of his ministry.
Today, The Telegraph has published the first interviews with his alleged victims who claim they were subjected to repeated sexually inappropriate comments and questions.
Mr Fletcher has said he is “deeply, deeply sorry for anybody that I have hurt or harmed in any way”, adding that “anything that happened was totally consensual and non-sexual”.
Earlier this month, Thirtyone: eight, the UK’S only independent Christian safeguarding charity, announced an independent review over Jonathan Fletcher and Emmanuel Church. It is expected to be published by May.