LONDON (AP) — The Church of England covered up “horrific” abuse by a lawyer who volunteered for Christian summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s, and the ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion failed to report him to authorities when he died. the abuse was heard in 2013, according to an independent review released Thursday.
John Smyth, who died in South Africa in 2018 aged 75, physically, sexually, psychologically and spiritually abused around 30 boys and young men in Britain and 85 in Africa over 50 years, the 251-page report reveals. counting report commissioned by the church. Smyth is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser associated with the church.
“Many of the victims who have taken the courageous decision to speak to us about what they have experienced have suffered this abuse in silence for more than 40 years,” said Keith Makin, who led the review. “Despite the efforts of some individuals to expose the abuse to the attention of the authorities, the responses of the Church of England and others were completely ineffective and amounted to a cover-up.”
The church said it was “deeply sorry for the horrific abuse,” adding, “there is never a place to cover up abuse.”
An experienced lawyer and charismatic speaker, Smyth was a volunteer leader in the Iwerne camps. The camps, held in various locations, were connected to the Church and were designed to prepare young men from leading schools for high offices in the Church and other parts of society.
Smyth used a stick to punish campers for “sins,” including “pride,” making sexual comments, masturbation or, in one case, looking at a girl for too long, the report said. The victims and Smyth were at least partially, if not completely, naked during the brutal beating.
“The scale and severity of the practice was appalling,” the report said. “Strikes of 100 are recorded for masturbation, 400 for pride and one of 800 for a secret ‘trap’.”
Eight of the victims received approximately 14,000 lashes over three years and two reported 8,000 lashes. Eight men said they often bled from the whipping, while others reported bruising and scarring.
In 1982, a secret report of the abuse was made by a pastor and other church officials were aware of it, but the police were never contacted.
“I thought it would do tremendous harm to the work of God if this were made public,” the late Rev. David Fletcher told people working on the new report.
Smyth was strongly encouraged to leave and eventually moved to Zimbabwe with his wife and children, the report said. He received financial assistance from church officials.
“Church officials were aware of the abuse and failed to take necessary steps to prevent further abuse,” the report said.
Church officials, including Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the ceremonial head of the church, had another chance to report Smyth — and possibly prevent further abuse — when they heard about it in 2013, but did not, the report said.
Welby, who attended Iwerne camps and knew Smyth, said he was unaware of the abuse before 2013.
“Nonetheless, it is clear from the investigation that I personally failed to ensure that the terrible tragedy was investigated expeditiously following the revelation in 2013,” Welby said.
The report said that if Smyth had been reported to police at the time, it could have exposed the truth and led to a possible criminal conviction.
“In effect, three and a half years were lost, a time when John Smyth could have been brought to justice and any abuse he committed in South Africa discovered and stopped,” the report said.
Word of his abuse only became public during a Channel 4 investigation in 2017, which led to Hampshire Police launching an investigation. Police planned to question Smyth at the time of his death and were prepared to extradite him.
