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Bishop of Liverpool accused of sexual assault, harassment

The Church of England is in crisis after two women claimed Bishop John Perumbalath had groped them, while the interim head of the CoE is also under pressure to resign over separate allegations.

The Right Rev John Perumbalath is alleged to have groped a woman in 2022 and assaulted another between 2019 and 2023.
The Right Rev John Perumbalath is alleged to have groped a woman in 2022 and assaulted another between 2019 and 2023.

The crisis within the Church of England has grown after two women made allegations of a sexual nature against the Bishop of Liverpool.

Claims of sexual assault and sexual harassment against the Right Rev John Perumbalath, 58, who has held the Liverpool diocese since January 2023, were uncovered by Channel 4 News.

The two women, one of whom was a member of the clergy, made separate disclosures last summer to Andrew Graystone, an advocate for victims of church-based abuse.

One of the women claimed that Perumbalath sexually assaulted her on separate occasions between 2019 and 2023 in the Chelmsford diocese. Her detailed allegations include instances of non-consensual kissing, groping and other inappropriate behaviour, which she reported to senior Church figures, including the Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, in 2023.

The allegations are likely to place further pressure on Cottrell, who is facing calls to resign himself over claims he allowed a sexual abuser to continue working in the church. Allegations of sexual misconduct against the Rev Canon David Tudor were allegedly passed to Cottrell during his time as Bishop of Chelmsford between 2010 and 2020, but Tudor was able to continue serving as a priest in Cottrell’s area. Cottrell has said he did not have the legal power to sack Tudor, who was banned for life from serving as a priest by a church tribunal last year, adding that he suspended him as soon as a new victim came forward to police in 2019.

In March 2019, the woman described the first alleged sexual assault, at a Chelmsford diocese away day. She said: “He held me there and kissed me forcefully on my mouth, which I did not like and I did not want.”

She added: “I tried to move away, but he was holding my head too tightly. I could feel his mouth pressing on my mouth. I could feel some of his saliva, and the texture of his beard around my mouth.”

In May 2022 at the end of a meeting, she claimed that he groped her: “As he was letting go of hugging me, he ran his hands past the side of my breasts on both sides, with a medium pressure, until he reached the edge of the areola.”

Commenting on a music evening in the chapel in January 2023, she said: “He pressed his face against my face, said ‘I love you’ quietly in my ear, and moved his mouth to just below my ear, on the pulse point on my neck. He opened his mouth, took a piece of my skin between his lips, and let go.”

Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, in London. Picture: AFP.
Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, in London. Picture: AFP.

In a written statement sent to Cathy Newman, of Channel 4 News, the woman said that she told her husband what had happened and immediately reported Perumbalath’s behaviour to the archdeacon. However, by this point, he was about to leave Essex for a promotion to the Liverpool diocese.

Cottrell, the interim head of the Church of England after the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury, was made aware of the allegations after Perumbalath was elected but before he was enthroned as bishop of Liverpool in April 2023, according to Channel 4 News. Cottrell and Perumbalath served together in the Chelmsford diocese.

Another woman, who was among 31 serving women bishops in the Church of England, alleged that she was sexually harassed by Perumbalath. Last year she also made a formal complaint but it was reported that a judge refused to allow it because more than a year had passed since the alleged harassment.

Graystone, who advocates for victims of church abuse, said: “The idea that a diocesan bishop should be alleged to have done these things to a very senior colleague in the church, and yet nobody else in the church has grasped the nettle and dealt with it; that’s particularly shocking.”

Perumbalath said: “I have consistently denied the allegations made against me by both complainants. I have complied with any investigation from the national safeguarding team. The allegations raised in Essex were also investigated by the police who took no further action.

“While I don’t believe I have done anything wrong, I have taken seriously the lessons learnt through this process addressing how my actions can be perceived by others. I will comply with any investigation deemed necessary.”

A statement to Channel 4 News, on behalf of the Church of England and Cottrell, said: “Anyone who comes forward to make a complaint will be taken seriously, treated with respect and their voice will be heard.

“The complaint [against Perumbalath] was looked into according to statutory safeguarding guidance … and an independent risk assessment undertaken. This process concluded that there were no ongoing safeguarding concerns, but a learning outcome was identified with which the bishop fully engaged.

The complaint was also investigated by the police which resulted in no further action. Cottrell has supported the complainant pastorally throughout the process and continues to offer practical help.”

The Times

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/bishop-of-liverpool-accused-of-sexual-assault-harassment/news-story/4f67bf29571b2a3971f7eb825a8b1475