Bishop Rejects 'Unjust' Claims over Sex Case
By Martin Slack
A FORMER bishop accused of covering up a sex abuse case involving a vulnerable orphan and a vicar has rejected a judge’s criticism and said remarks about his involvement were “unjust”. The Rt Rev David Lunn, now 83 and retired, was the Bishop of Sheffield in 1987 when vicar John Yallop was found to be abusing a 16-year-old girl, but the crime did not come to light until last year. Yallop, now 65, has been jailed for three years, but Judge Simon Lawler QC, who heard the case, said social workers and “church elders” involved at the time should “reproach themselves”. Speaking at his home in Wetwang, East Yorkshire, yesterday, Bishop Lunn told the Yorkshire Post: “I think the judge’s remarks were unjust, but I can understand why he made them. “The tale told in court was utterly different to what I was told way back in 1988. I was told the man in question had an inappropriate relationship with a member of his congregation. “I saw him and told him that this was unacceptable and advised him to leave the ministry, which he did. I was not made aware that it was a girl and there was no sweeping under the carpet.” Yallop was prosecuted when his victim, now 42, came forward after reading about him in a newspaper when he was barred from fostering because of he and his current wife’s views on homosexuality. Sheffield Crown Court heard Yallop was vicar of St Peter’s Church, Ellesmere, Sheffield, in 1987 when the complainant lost her father, grandmother and mother in the space of just eight months. She was taken in by her Christian neighbours who referred her to married Yallop, who had conducted the teenager’s mother’s funeral, for counselling. But Yallop preyed on the vulnerable youngster, sexually assaulting her in the vicarage with his then wife downstairs, in his car and also in the church foyer. The victim eventually complained to social workers in November 1987, who went on to interview Yallop. Prosecutor Sarah Wright said original notes still exist, in which Yallop gave a full admission. Ms Wright told the court: “A meeting with church elders followed and it was decided to not involve the police.” The court heard the victim felt she had to inform police when she read about Yallop in January 2012 and discovered he was officiating at St Barnabas Church in Blackburn, Lancashire. Yallop was arrested last year as he was about to conduct a funeral in Blackburn and assaulted the WPC making the arrest, for which he has already received a conditional discharge. A trial in February this year was cut short after Yallop heard the harrowing evidence of his victim and decided to plead guilty to six charges of indecent assault against her. Judge Lawler told Yallop: “Over two months you grossly abused your position of trust as a minister of the church towards her. You were 40 and married with two young children.” The judge said social services and the Church of England decided to keep the matter away from the police and Yallop was told to resign and move away, adding: “In truth, it was a cover-up.” The Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft, has apologised for what happened. He said: “On behalf of the Diocese of Sheffield I would like to issue an immediate and full apology. “When these assaults took place she was just 16 years of age and both her parents had recently died. “Vulnerable young people rightly look to the Church and to its ordained representatives as people in whom they can trust and confide and with whom they will be safe. “Sadly this trust was terribly betrayed in this case. “The judge has indicated the matter was not handled well by the Church authorities at the time and I agree with his judgment. “For some time now, thankfully, our processes have been much more robust and we continue to work to improve them.”
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