Archbishop of York Accused of Blaming Victims by Grooming Survivor

A woman alleging she was groomed by priest David Tudor has voiced criticism regarding the Archbishop of York’s reaction to a BBC inquiry concerning his management of Tudor’s situation. Stephen Cottrell stated that the investigation, which revealed, among other findings, that he permitted Tudor to stay in his position despite being aware of the Church’s prohibition against Tudor being unsupervised with children, was “retraumatising” victims. Rachel Ford, who has accused Tudor of grooming her, described this response as “a terrible way of trying to pass the buck onto the victims”. Mr Cottrell is scheduled to assume leadership of the Church of England within weeks, a development that follows the resignation of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby concerning his handling of a distinct sex abuse case. In his response to the BBC investigation, Mr Cottrell expressed that he was “deeply sorry” for the delay in taking action, but asserted that he had “inherited” the circumstances and lacked legal justification for alternative measures. He further commented: “It is extremely disappointing that this story is being reported as if it was an abuser being ignored or even protected.” He added: “Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. And to present it this way only re-traumatises already hurt people.” Rachel Ford, who informed the BBC that Tudor was “very touchy-feely” with her during her time at school, stated that Mr Cottrell’s claim demonstrated “a complete lack of empathy for his victims”. “That’s a terrible way of trying to pass the buck onto the victims by saying that actually, it’s more upsetting for us that something’s been done about it than the last 40 years where nothing was being done,” she conveyed to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. The Reverend Jenny Penn, who recently concluded her tenure as vicar in the identical position Tudor occupied decades prior, initially contacted the BBC regarding the disgraced priest. She also expressed criticism of Archbishop Cottrell’s reaction to the inquiry. “Perhaps he could ask the victims themselves whether they would rather this matter was brought out into the open, or that it was swept under the carpet for fear of re-traumatising them,” Ms Penn informed BBC Newsnight on Monday. Archbishop Cottrell asserted that he took action in the case as promptly as possible, suspending David Tudor in 2019 following the emergence of another alleged victim and the initiation of a new police investigation. However, Ms Penn stated her distress that women who had come forward in previous decades, including those who accused Tudor of serious sexual assault, were compelled to witness him continue as a priest for such an extended period. Ms Penn indicated her lack of comprehension regarding the Archbishop’s current statement that he “inherited an intolerable situation”. She questioned: “I couldn’t really understand to whom it was intolerable. “If it was intolerable to him, then he still managed to tolerate it for another nine years. If it was intolerable to the victims, then why was nothing done?” Tudor was prohibited from the ministry just two months prior, subsequent to his admission of historical sex abuse allegations involving two girls. Both Ms Ford and Ms Penn have urged Stephen Cottrell to step down from his role as Archbishop of York. Ms Ford commented that his resignation would serve as a “warning” to individuals that “the old boys’ club” had concluded, and that his departure was “inevitable”. The demands for Mr Cottrell’s resignation emerge weeks before he is scheduled to assume the position left vacant by Justin Welby. The Church of England has experienced significant turmoil since Mr Welby’s resignation as the Archbishop of Canterbury in November, following the release of a critical report which determined he “could and should” have taken more action in the case of prolific child abuser John Smyth. “In the case of Archbishop Justin Welby, he took responsibility for a situation and resigned because he was personally involved,” Ms Penn stated. “I can see the same criteria applying here, Stephen Cottrell was personally involved, I wouldn’t think his position was tenable anymore.” Responding to the BBC’s investigation, Mr Cottrell remarked: “The situation with David Tudor was an awful situation to live with and to manage and has meant many people suffering as a result.” He added: “I want victims and survivors to know that everything was done to understand, assess and manage the risk.” Tudor did not provide a response to the BBC’s inquiries when approached for comment. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.