Police Receive Further Abuse Complaints against Retired Bishop
By Robert Booth
Police investigating allegations of sexual abuse, including child abuse, against the retired bishop Rt Rev Peter Ball have received complaints from a further seven men who claim they were victims, it emerged on Thursday. A man who was 12 when he alleges he was abused by the former bishop of Lewes was among those who came forward, according to a spokesman for Sussex police's Operation Dunhill. Ball was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of sex offences. Detectives said they had received "a substantial amount of new information from members of the public" in the 48 hours since his arrest at his home near Langport in Somerset. He was due to be questioned on suspicion of a further eight sexual offences against boys and young men ranging in age from 12 to early 20s but was released at his home that afternoon on medical advice. Police now intend to interview him at a later date. All the suspected offences took place from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, during which period Ball, now 80, was the bishop of Lewes in East Sussex. The latest accusations made bring the number of suspected victims to 15. Detectives investigating the case and wider allegations of historic abuse by clergy in the diocese of Chichester on Thursday night called for any other people who claim they were attacked by Ball to come forward and promised to treat their claims with sensitivity. Ball has connections with Prince Charles whom he has described as "a loyal friend". He established a monastic order of the Glorious Ascension with his brother Rt Rev Michael Ball, the former bishop of Truro. The prince attended Peter Ball's enthronement as bishop of Gloucester in 2001, and the latter reportedly visited Highgrove, the former's Gloucestershire home on several occasions. A second, more junior retired priest who was also arrested on Tuesday at his home address near Haywards Heath on suspicion of separate sexual offences against two teenage boys in East Sussex between 1981 and 1983, is also facing further allegations. Three more men have now come forward claiming the 67-year old committed sexual offences against them. Police added that a number of other people have also come forward since both arrests, offering other potentially useful information although not alleging offences against the clergymen. "We are very interested to see that so many people have contacted us since Tuesday, and every report is being followed up," said Detective Chief Inspector Carwyn Hughes, who is leading the investigation. "Anyone else who wishes to contact us is encouraged to do so by calling Sussex police via 101 and quoting Operation Dunhill. Calls are treated with great sensitivity. The force will always take seriously any allegations of historic sexual offending, and every possible step is taken to investigate whenever appropriate. Allegations of historic offences are treated just as seriously as any more recent offences." The investigation comes after Lambeth Palace gave Sussex police two reports from a Church of England safeguarding consultant. These reports contain reviews of church files relating to matters relating to the safeguarding of young people in the Chichester diocese during the 1980s and early 1990s. Police received the documents in May and also received the files themselves. "The investigation has taken six months so far and is continuing," Sussex police said in a statement. "This is a very complex enquiry, in the course of which many people, all now adults, have had to be traced, together with other witnesses and records from a wide variety of sources, and there has been consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service."
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