UNITED KINGDOM
National Secular Society
Posted: Mon, 04 Jan 2016 by Keith Porteous Wood
New revelations about the extent of the letter-writing campaign to help disgraced bishop Peter Ball escape charges raise urgent questions about the extent of the establishment cover-up, writes Keith Porteous Wood.
Former Bishop of Gloucester Peter Ball was recently jailed for 32 months aged 83 for offences relating to sexual activity with almost twenty young males. The Crown Prosecution Service had investigated allegations twenty years earlier but they had told Ball in 1993 that despite “sufficient admissible, substantial and reliable evidence” it was prepared to deal with the matter out of court. Ball was let off with a caution and resigned as bishop. The CPS have recently conceded that this was the wrong decision.
It is widely thought that Ball escaped more serious charges and a trial in 1993 because of a massive establishment cover-up; reportedly 2,000 letters were sent to justice authorities on Ball’s behalf.
Freedom of Information requests, including by the Telegraph and the BBC, have led to the release of a few of these letters and confirm that some were from key establishment figures. A former Home Office Secretary of State (now Rt Hon Lord Renton) wrote, seemingly accepting the accusations, that “the further shame of criminal action seems far too great a punishment”.
The Rt Hon Lord Justice Lloyd wrote to both the Detective Inspector and Chief Constable describing Ball as “the most … saintly man I have ever met”, thanking the former for “being so understanding when we spoke on the telephone”. Several senior masters from public schools also wrote.
Hopefully it will emerge, perhaps from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, who was responsible for organising this high level campaign, of such magnitude that it apparently succeeded in perverting the course of justice. That the letters were orchestrated is suggested by a phrase used in a letter from Radley College Abingdon: “I gather it may be helpful for you to hear from those who have known Bishop Peter Ball for a long period of time.” Who suggested that “it may be helpful”?
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