Victim of serial abuser John Smyth says Archbishop's resignation paves way for others to be held 'accountable'

12 November 2024, 22:53 | Updated: 12 November 2024, 22:57

A victim of serial abuser John Smyth has said the Archbishop of Canterbury's resignation paves the way for others to be held accountable.

Justin Welby said he would be stepping down less than a week after an independent review concluded that the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England might have been brought to justice had the Archbishop formally reported him to police more than a decade ago.

More than 100 boys and young men were abused by late barrister Smyth over five decades.

One of his victims, Richard Gittins, said bishops "who kept the stories to themselves" should now be the focus of questioning.

After Mr Welby publicly announced he was stepping down, Mr Gittins said: "I'm pleased he's resigned.

"It now shows that he's taken some action, and I think this also means that the focus can be turned on other people who knew and haven't done anything about it.

He told Sky News: "So he's moved away, so that other people can answer the questions that need to be put to them, particularly bishops.

"Although he's the highest person in the church, he's not the most responsible for the cover-up.

"So I think it's time now to focus the attention on other bishops who kept the stories to themselves."

He added that the Archbishop's resignation does not make up for the years of abuse inflicted on people by Smyth, and the subsequent "cover-up".

"But I'm pleased that (Mr Welby has) resigned because it shows that he's seriously sorry. And it's not just words anymore - he's leading with action," Mr Gittins said.

Another victim of Smyth, Andrew Morse, has said he was subjected to after-prayer beatings as a boy between 1978 and 1982.

Mr Morse said he first met Smyth while a pupil at Winchester College, Hampshire, and told the Telegraph that the Archbishop had taken a "brave step" by resigning.

He hoped Mr Welby would "find some peace" in his decision, and told the newspaper: "I welcome (his resignation) wholeheartedly.

"I think it's a brave step that he's taken and that I hope he finds some peace in this decision as I know myself and other victims will."

Mr Morse added that it would "bring some measure of closure" to victims, and said: "Obviously he's just the leader and there are countless other Anglican churchmen who equally bear responsibility.

"But I think by taking this step, he's providing an example for them whether they follow it or not." Hours before Mr Welby announced his resignation, Mr Morse told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Smyth's abuse led him to attempt suicide.

He added that the Archbishop's admission that he had not done enough since 2013 "is enough in my mind to confirm that Justin Welby along with countless other Anglican church members were part of a cover-up about the abuse".

Over five decades between the 1970s until his death, Smyth is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.

A lay reader who led Christian summer camps, Smyth died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, and was "never brought to justice for the abuse", the Makin Review said.

Mr Welby knew Smyth because of his attendance at Iwerne Christian camps in the 1970s, but the review said there was no evidence that he had "maintained any significant contact" with the barrister in later years.

The Archbishop said he had "no idea or suspicion of this abuse" before 2013.

The report said Smyth "could and should have been formally reported to the police in the UK, and to authorities in South Africa (church authorities and potentially the police) by church officers, including a diocesan bishop and Justin Welby in 2013''.