Latest news with #disciplinaryTribunal
Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Seven priests face tribunal over church sex abuse scandal
A bishop who served as an assistant to the King during the coronation is one of seven priests facing charges in front of a church tribunal over the scandal that led to the downfall of Justin Welby, the former Archbishop of Canterbury. The Right Rev Paul Butler, who retired last year as Bishop of Durham, the church's fourth most senior role, will face a disciplinary tribunal alongside six other members of the clergy. Lord Carey of Clifton, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, will not face legal action. Carey, who served as archbishop from 1991 to 2002, had been named in February among ten priests who could face disciplinary charges under the clergy discipline measure (CDM). They all faced some degree of criticism within a damning report by the social worker Keith Makin into the Church of England's failure to stop John Smyth, a Christian barrister, from abusing boys over several decades. The criticisms made of Welby in the report, including that he should have been more active in checking that the police were investigating the allegations, led to him announcing his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury last November, and stepping down in January this year. • Justin Welby: I forgive John Smyth but it is not me he abused The Church of England has now confirmed that seven of the ten priests will face a disciplinary tribunal. These include the Rev Andrew Cornes, a General Synod member who had previously been a candidate to sit on the committee that will choose the next archbishop of Canterbury. The complaints against them were technically 'out of time', but an independent panel has assessed each and said that seven can go ahead. Carey, however, is among three priests who will face no further action. The Makin report alleged that Carey was sent a memo about Smyth's abuses while he was principal of Trinity Theological College in the early 1980s, but said that Carey 'denies seeing it'. He has maintained his denial of ever seeing such a memo. Carey has already relinquished his permission to serve as a priest during his retirement. He cited his age, but has faced multiple criticisms over his handling of abuse allegations in the past. He said on Thursday morning: 'After what has been a gruelling and punishing process, brought upon me by the CofE for myself and my family, after 63 years of ministry, I welcome the decision of the president of tribunals in standing up for principles of integrity rather than expediency. I am absolutely certain that I received no information in 1983-4 which could have alerted me to John Smyth's terrible crimes against young men and boys. The president's verdict is a welcome piece of news after the flawed Makin report.' In 2015 Butler was president of the Scripture Union, and the Rev Tim Hastie-Smith, who is also facing a disciplinary charge, was director. The union had employed some staff at the camps where Smyth worked in the 1970s and 1980s. Butler, who was also the church's lead bishop for safeguarding, and Hastie-Smith discussed Smyth in 2015 after allegations had come to light. However, Butler said that he was 'not provided with any detailed information about the abuse'. The report said they could have shared correspondence they received about Smyth more widely. The other priests who will now face a tribunal include the Rev Roger Combes, the retired Archdeacon of Horsham, who was one of a small group who was given an explosive report about Smyth's abuse in 1982 but said that he did not know the seriousness of the allegations until much later. The Rev Sue Colman is alleged to have been aware of allegations against Smyth before she was ordained, but has said she 'did not know the full details'. The Rev Sue Colman MAYOR OF BASINGSTOKE AND DEANE/FACEBOOK The Rev Nick Stott was allegedly advised not to join Smyth in Zimbabwe but still went, allegedly witnessing 'surprising' behaviour at his camps. He was reportedly told of 'an issue' with Smyth but said he 'was not told any details'. The Rev John Woolmer led the Christian Forum at Winchester College, where he was a teacher. He was allegedly told by a student in 1981 or 1982 that they were worried about something 'very serious which involved abuse'. The report found that he 'did not pursue this and has reported that he has regretted that since'. Carey, the Rev Paul Perkin and the Rev Hugh Palmer will face no further action. If the tribunals rule against them, those facing charges could face punishments ranging from a rebuke to a life prohibition from ministry. The church is reintroducing the power to 'defrock' a priest, but this change will not be in force in time to apply to them. A church spokeswoman said: 'Victims and survivors and all those criticised in the Makin review have been informed and support offered. The national safeguarding team will make no further comment on these cases whilst the CDM proceedings are under way.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Sacked police officer says he is seen as ‘abuser' after ‘aggressive' arrest
A former police officer who was sacked because of his 'aggressive' detention of a 15-year-old boy has said he is being treated like an 'abuser' and is appealing his case. Lorne Castle was dismissed by Dorset Police after an independent disciplinary tribunal found that he had committed gross misconduct in relation to the arrest of the youth in Bournemouth town centre on January 27 2024. The ex-police constable had admitted misconduct in relation to breaching the standards of professional behaviour relating to authority, respect and courtesy, conduct and use of force but denied gross misconduct. Following the hearing, a Dorset Police spokesman said that Mr Castle had acted 'inappropriately' as he detained the teenager after receiving reports of two assaults in the seaside town. The spokesman said: 'Pc Castle was seen to use unnecessary and inappropriate words towards the boy and place both his hands on his throat. 'The panel found that Pc Castle failed to act with self-control, did not treat the boy with courtesy or respect. 'His shouting, swearing, finger pointing, taking hold of the boy's face and throat and suggested use of leg restraints was not necessary, reasonable or proportionate.' A video clip of the incident, released by the force on Tuesday, shows the officer tackling the boy to the ground before taking hold of the teenager's face and throat while repeatedly swearing and shouting at him. The boy can be heard shouting and crying 'what have I done' and 'what did I do' before the officer shouts 'stop screaming like a little b****, do you understand that? Shut up'. The teenager also screams 'my f****** neck, get off me, I don't want you on me', while Mr Castle is on top of him. The officer later shouts 'stop resisting or I'm gonna smash you, do you understand?' and says the boy is being arrested on suspicion of assault. Speaking on LBC radio, Mr Castle said that the suspect, who had been wearing a mask, had been 'an unknown risk' and was found to be in possession of a knife during the arrest. The 46-year-old father-of-three said: 'If I'd have known on those circumstances that he had a knife that would have probably been a firearms incident. 'The real danger is the unknown. We knew he was potentially violent, but we didn't know how violent. 'Now, the risk for any police officer is the moment you go to detain someone, until you know you've got them safely detained.' He added that it was a 'scary situation' because he was on the ground with the offender with other people nearby. Mr Castle said he had received thousands of messages of support but felt that people were questioning his nature despite previously having '10 years of exemplary service' and having previously received a bravery award from the Humane Society. A GoFundMe page set up for Mr Castle by a retired police officer has so far raised £49,616. He said: 'I've got a phenomenal family and everyone knows that but people are asking that question now 'am I some sort of abuser?' because I attempted to arrest someone who was potentially violent, who resisted and my risk analysis was 100% correct.' In a statement Dorset Police Federation criticised Dorset Police's decision to release the footage, saying the force had done so 'without also providing context or balance'. The federation added: 'Our view is that the showing of selective clips of an officer's body worn video is not a useful or responsible way to properly inform the public about an incident – and only serves to entice the public into making judgments without having the benefit of all the facts. 'This is not fair or just. ' Dorset's Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said: 'We are sharing body worn video to address concerns about misinformation and to reassure the public that, while tackling crime in Dorset, our officers will continue to be proactive and robust – but by using their powers proportionately and with respect.'
