Former Priest, Abuse Survivor, Calls for Archbishop of York’s Resignation

A former priest, who experienced rape by a vicar during his teenage years, has demanded the resignation of the Archbishop of York. Matthew Ineson suffered abuse in the 1980s at the hands of Trevor Devamanikkam, then a priest serving at St Aidan’s Church in Bradford. Mr. Ineson disclosed his experiences to high-ranking clergy, including John Sentamu, who was the Archbishop of York at the time, in 2013. However, a subsequent review conducted by the Church of England determined that it had not acted upon his allegations, leading to Lord Sentamu’s removal from ministry last year. The current archbishop, Stephen Cottrell, who advocated for Lord Sentamu’s re-admission in October, informed the BBC that he regarded his “commitment” to child sexual abuse survivors “very seriously”. Devamanikkam faced charges for six sex offences following Mr. Ineson’s report to the police that the vicar had raped him when he was 16 years old. Nevertheless, Devamanikkam died by suicide in June 2017, prior to the case proceeding to court. An independent investigation, initiated by the National Safeguarding Team of the Church of England, subsequently concluded that Mr. Ineson, who had himself served as a vicar before departing the church, had been sexually abused by Devamanikkam. In 2013, Mr. Ineson had communicated details of the abuse via email to Lord Sentamu and Glyn Webster, who was then the Bishop of Beverley. However, the same review determined that the clergy “failed to act” on this information and that Mr. Ineson was “not supported to refer the disclosures to the police.” Lord Sentamu, who gained national prominence during his tenure as archbishop, disputed the review’s conclusions and was subsequently removed from his ministerial role. Nevertheless, Archbishop Cottrell, in conjunction with Justin Welby, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, co-signed a letter in October requesting the Bishop of Newcastle to reinstate Mr. Sentamu as a minister. This action has provoked anger in Mr. Ineson, who has foregone his right to anonymity as a victim of sexual abuse. He stated to the BBC: “To disclose abuse takes tremendous courage and affects the lives of survivors throughout their lives. “To then sort of be ignored, not believed, not trusted, or pushed to one side only adds to that abuse when it goes on for years, as in the case of (mine) with the church. “It really can be damaging to people’s lives and I know it’s changed mine irreparably.” Mr. Ineson asserted that Archbishop Cottrell, who has also encountered demands for his resignation from other individuals assisting abuse survivors within the church, “needs to go”. He further commented: “He hasn’t taken action against those who’ve ignored disclosures of abuse and those who just will not apologise for their actions, such as Sentamu.” In an official statement, the archbishop’s office declared: “Archbishop Stephen takes his commitment to survivors very seriously and met privately with Mr Ineson not long after taking office, being aware of the background to the case and the awful abuse he suffered. “The Archbishop remains committed to engaging constructively with survivors and apologises if anyone who comes forward does not receive the response they should.” Mr. Ineson additionally sent an email to the Right Reverend Glyn Webster, who departed his position as Bishop of Beverley in 2022 and currently serves at All Saints Church in York, advocating for his resignation. He received a response that he suspected was intended for another individual, in which Mr. Webster stated he was “half expecting the witch hunt to knock on my door”. When contacted by the BBC for a statement, Mr. Webster responded: “I have been horrified by the abuse suffered by Matthew Ineson since I first learned of it, and I am extremely sorry that his past experience continues to affect his wellbeing.”I am also deeply sorry for the additional pain caused to Matthew by the terms I used in my email received by him last week; my email was intended for a friend with whom I have shared my personal experience and I’m sorry for any offence caused.” Lord Sentamu did not provide a response to the BBC’s request for comment.