Police Handling of ‘Brutal’ Abuser Linked to Church of England Under Scrutiny

The passing of John Smyth in 2018 meant that an “appalling abuser” connected to the Church of England avoided accountability for offenses spanning many decades. Smyth leveraged his position within a Christian charitable organization to assault over 100 children and young men, leading to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation following sharp criticism in a report published earlier this month. Currently, an advocate representing John Smyth’s victims informed the BBC that law enforcement officers were not “sufficiently curious” upon receiving information regarding him. A comprehensive inquiry was eventually initiated almost four years after authorities initially became aware of Smyth, and only subsequent to reports by Channel 4 News. Keith Makin, who authored the Smyth review, has put forward the idea that police might have been “overwhelmed” by past abuse allegations in different instances, in the wake of the Jimmy Savile affair. A representative for the National Police Chiefs Council conceded that officers encountered “resourcing challenges” due to an unparalleled volume of cases. Therefore, what caused “the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England,” as Smyth was characterized in the report, to evade prosecution? For more than 30 years, police were not informed of Smyth’s offenses due to an “active cover up” within the Church of England, as detailed in the Makin review released earlier this month. The review determined that Smyth was an “appalling abuser of children and young men. His abuse was prolific, brutal and horrific.” It further underscored that evidence of criminal acts had been collected in the 1980s but was withheld, encompassing specifics of children subjected to physical and sexual abuse. “The scale and severity of the practice was horrific,” stated the document known as the Ruston report, which was named after the Rev Mark Ruston, who assembled it in 1982. It documented victims being struck hundreds of times with canes until they bled. Individuals within the Church of England maintained this secrecy, which allowed Smyth to relocate to southern Africa and persist in his abusive behavior, according to the report. He faced trial in that region for culpable homicide following the suspicious demise of a 16-year-old boy in Zimbabwe, but the proceedings were discontinued. British law enforcement was first notified only in the summer of 2013. One of Smyth’s victims had sought counselling from the Bishop of Ely’s safeguarding adviser. Certain particulars concerning the case and that of another purported victim were conveyed to Cambridgeshire police. As per the Makin review, the safeguarding adviser was informed that officers were unable to act: Smyth’s conduct constituted “an abuse of trust” but would be “unlikely to reach the threshold for a criminal investigation.” A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police stated to the BBC: “With the limited information available at the time, and the victims’ not wishing to make a complaint, it was not possible for us to pursue an investigation.” The Ely diocese received counsel to get in touch with police in Hampshire, the location of most of the alleged offenses, and was informed that an intelligence report had been dispatched by Cambridgeshire Police to their counterparts in Hampshire, though the Makin review uncovered no documentation of this. Hampshire Police informed the BBC that they first obtained an abuse report in October 2014. This was initially managed on their behalf by officers from the Met police. A summary of abuse allegations was provided to them by a representative of the Titus Trust—the charitable organization that succeeded the one operating the summer camps where the abuse occurred. However, police were unaware of the identities of the alleged victims. A spokesperson from Hampshire Police informed the BBC that they requested details, but “the third party declined to provide these, stating that the victims would contact police.” The Titus Trust contests this assertion, stating that Met officers had instructed them not to include victims’ names when delivering a verbal report to the police. The subsequent failure of officers to establish direct communication with victims was deemed ”a critical and important missed opportunity” by individuals who contributed to the Makin review. “The matter was filed pending any new information coming to light,” a Hampshire police spokesperson communicated to the BBC. When fresh information did surface, it was within the jurisdiction of a different police force. In late 2016, Thames Valley police received contact from the Oxford diocese, which revealed a complete copy of the Ruston report, originally compiled over 30 years prior, and which explicitly detailed the beatings inflicted by Smyth. Officers finally possessed this document. Nevertheless, minimal action ensued. The report did not contain evidence of criminal activity within the Thames Valley area, prompting the force to transmit the information to national policing counterparts involved in Operation Hydrant. This operation was established in 2014 to synchronize the handling of historical child sexual abuse allegations by forces nationwide, initiated by the Jimmy Savile case. There had been a “surge in adults reporting being sexually abused as a child,” a spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) informed the BBC. “It quickly became apparent that there was a real potential for duplication for forces as victims were reporting multiple offenders across different geographical areas.” The NPCC verified that Operation Hydrant had received referrals concerning Smyth and stated that data was appropriately disseminated among pertinent police forces. The Makin Review brought into question the police’s general management of the reports it had obtained during this timeframe and the lack of follow-up. “An explanation offered by those in touch with police at the time suggests they may have been overwhelmed in this period by historic allegations of abuse.” The NPCC recognized that “police forces up and down the country saw a massive increase in non-recent reports of child sexual abuse during this period which did present resourcing challenges for many.” In 2017, law enforcement ultimately initiated an investigation, named Operation Cubic, yet this occurred only subsequent to media coverage. Channel 4 News had received a tip regarding the Ruston report from Andrew Graystone, an advocate and writer who survived Smyth’s abuse. He expressed hope that the media would prompt police to act. “They were too busy with Jimmy Savile and other victims,” stated Mr Graystone. “They should have been more assiduous in following up whether victims they did know about had been contacted and therefore had had the opportunity to respond.” “They were not sufficiently curious as to whether there was more they weren’t being told or whether the offences were more widespread and serious.” He asserted that the outcome was additional postponement in addressing Smyth. By the time the complete extent of his offenses was finally revealed, it was no longer timely. In 2018, the Crown Prosecution Service concurred that there was sufficient evidence for him to face charges, and preparations commenced to repatriate him from South Africa to the UK for interrogation, but he passed away in August. “While the victims will not see the suspect charged and the allegations put before a court,” a spokesperson for Hampshire police commented, “we hope that the updates provided to them during the course of the investigation provided some reassurance that their allegations were taken seriously.” The NPCC stated: “In the past many victims have been failed. This is not good enough and policing has worked hard to learn from its mistakes.” “The approach today to tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation has evolved and is much improved in many aspects. However, there is still much to do, and making these improvements is a significant priority for national policing.” Update 20 November: This piece has been revised to incorporate the Titus Trust’s stance regarding the abuse allegations it managed. Newsnight – Fall of an Archbishop: As Justin Welby resigns as Archbishop of Canterbury, subsequent to critique of his management of a report concerning a prolific child abuser linked to the Church of England, Victoria Derbyshire questions a senior bishop on whether his departure should have occurred earlier. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information on our external linking policy is available.