Welby orders review into church's handling of sex abuse bishop case

By Harriet Sherwood
Guardian
October 5, 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/05/sex-abuse-bishop-welby-orders-review-of-churchs-handling-of-peter-ball-case

Peter Ball admitted sex offences last month and will be sentenced on Wednesday. Photo by David Jones

The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has ordered an independent review of the Church of England’s handling of the case of Peter Ball, the former bishop of Lewes and Gloucester, amid allegations of a cover-up of sexual abuse.

Ball, 83, admitted last month to indecently assaulting two people between 1980 and 1983 and between 1990 and 1991, and will be sentenced on Wednesday. He also admitted misconduct in public office by “misusing his position in authority to manipulate and prevail upon others for his own sexual gratification” in relation to 16 men between 1977 and 1992.

Claims of Ball’s offences surfaced in 1993, when he was cautioned by police, but he was not brought to trial. He resigned from his position, but continued to officiate in churches until 2010.

The Church of England announced on Monday that Welby had commissioned an independent review to examine whether the church “properly assessed the possible risk that Bishop Ball might pose to others and responded adequately to concerns and representations submitted by survivors”.

It will also look at the church’s cooperation with the police and other statutory bodies, and whether it “shared information in a timely manner, identifying both good practice and shortcomings alike”.

The review is expected to be published next year.

George Carey, the archbishop of Canterbury during the first police investigation, has said he was aware of the case at the time. “I have seen a number of reports which appear to give the misleading impression that I interfered with the process of justice by contacting the Crown Prosecution Service. I only did so after Peter Ball had been cautioned. I wanted to make sure justice had been done,” he said last month.

Survivors of sexual abuse have criticised the church’s handling of the case.

After Ball admitted the charges last month, Phil Johnson, who alleged 19 years ago that Ball had sexually abused him as a 13-year-old boy, said the last two decades amounted to an establishment cover-up.

“He is very well connected,” said Johnson. “There has been pressure on the police ever since 1993 when all this first emerged. It’s been going on for years.

“There are many, many victims who have fought for a long time to see him face justice and have not been believed. The church and the establishment have colluded in covering up Bishop Peter Ballʼs offending at the highest level over very many years.”