The Church of England has apologised to abuse survivors who have been “let down by the church”, after a clergyman reportedly assessed as a potential risk to children and young people was given a payout.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York acknowledged the “concerning background” to the case of Canon Andrew Hindley, who the BBC said had been subject to five police investigations, including allegations of sexual assault.
The church confirmed that “a number of allegations were made about the canon over a number of years”, but said there had never been a conviction in the criminal courts or any finding of misconduct in the independent church courts.
Mr Hindley was removed from office on health grounds in 2021 but, after bringing a High Court claim against that decision, was given a payment in settlement, the church said.
The BBC reported an offer of £240,000 was made, but said non-disclosure agreements in place mean the payout sum is unknown.
The broadcaster quoted from a risk assessment it said had been carried out by the NSPCC regarding Mr Hindley – which said he presented “a risk of significant harm to children and young people” and advised he “should have no unsupervised contact with children or young people”.
The BBC also reported that the then-bishop of Blackburn, Julian Henderson, had written to the canon in 2021 saying he would have sacked him if he could, after a final risk assessment had found “the risk of inappropriate sexual behaviour to others as low to moderate”.
It is understood at one point the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby supported a plan to close Blackburn Cathedral if Mr Hindley returned to work from his suspension.
Mr Welby and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said the church is “still working to get our processes right and we must learn from the mistakes of the past” and that this case “highlights the complexity of our structures and processes” in dealing with such issues.
In a joint statement in response to the BBC investigation, they said: “We are truly sorry when survivors are let down by the Church. We were both made aware of this case, including the concerning background and the challenges caused by statutory and Church processes ending with no further action.
“We absolutely believe that there is no place in ministry for people who are a risk or pose a risk to others and continue to work to ensure that our systems are made ever stronger and more robust.
“This case highlights the complexity of our structures and processes and is just one example of why we asked Professor Alexis Jay, the former chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, to provide options and recommendations for how further independence of safeguarding within the Church of England might be achieved. This work is now being taken forward.
“As the Bishop of Blackburn told the BBC, the Church has made huge strides in safeguarding in the past 10 years particularly in listening to the voices of survivors and victims. However, this case, which goes back many years, shows that we are still working to get our processes right and we must learn from the mistakes of the past.”
The BBC reported that Canon Hindley claimed he was subjected to a campaign to drive him from the church, arguing it was motivated by homophobia and personal agendas, and that he felt the church had “allowed its safeguarding procedures to be hijacked, weaponised and misused”.
