Church of England Covered up Vicar's Sex Abuse of Orphaned Teenager for 26 Years
By Chris Brooke
John Yallop, a married father of four, had been offering bereavement counselling to the 16-year-old girl just months after she lost her entire family. He admitted the abuse, which took place over two months, when confronted by a social worker. But instead of reporting him to police, the Bishop of Sheffield and social services chiefs hushed up the scandal and Yallop, then 40, was allowed to leave his job and move away from the area to restart his life. The victim, now aged 42, has suffered depression and suicidal thoughts ever since. She eventually reported Yallop, now 65, to police in January last year after discovering he was again carrying out religious services and wanted to become a foster parent with his new wife. He initially claimed to be innocent, forcing his victim to relive her ordeal by giving evidence at his trial in February. But the case was cut short for legal reasons and Yallop decided to plead guilty to six counts of indecent assault. As Judge Simon Lawler QC jailed him for three years at Sheffield Crown Court, he hit out at the authorities responsible for the cover-up and said those still alive ‘should reproach themselves’. The matter had been ‘swept under the carpet – the church elders were not concerned about her, but more the damage that publicity would do to the church’. The court heard the teenage girl was an only child from Sheffield orphaned when her father, mother and grandmother all died over eight months in 1987. She was referred to Yallop, who conducted her mother’s funeral, for bereavement counselling. But he abused his position and sexually assaulted her in the vicarage when his wife was downstairs, in his car and even in the foyer of St Peter’s Church in Ellesmere, Sheffield, where he worked. The girl eventually confided in her social worker Charlotte Swain, who interviewed Yallop. Sarah Wright, prosecuting, said the original notes of the interview still exist and Yallop gave a full admission of his sexual abuse. At a meeting with church elders ‘it was decided to not involve the police’. The judge said the social worker’s concerns were overruled. 'I have got what I wanted, which is to protect other children and for the truth to come out' Victim of John Yallop He added the decision by church officials, the Bishop of Sheffield at the time, David Lunn, and social services chiefs had ‘devastating effects’ on the victim. Yallop moved 40 miles to Blackburn, Lancashire, where his victim - now married and living in South Yorkshire - discovered that he was managing the St Barnabas Church and Community Centre. After the case, she said: ‘I have got what I wanted, which is to protect other children and for the truth to come out.’ The current Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft, apologised to her and agreed that church authorities mishandled the case. Last night Mr Lunn, 82, insisted he was not involved in any cover-up. He added: ‘The issue was not a problem with an underage person but an inappropriate relationship with an adult member of the congregation. This caused his instant resignation and retirement from the parish.’
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