Bishop of Liverpool resigns after sexual assault and harassment claims

The Bishop of Liverpool has resigned after allegations of sexual assault and harassment were made against him.

The Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath said he had decided to retire without any admission of fault or liability, but to avoid the issue being “a distraction”.

It comes after Channel 4 news reported earlier this week that one woman had accused the bishop of kissing her without consent and groping her, and another woman accused him of sexual harassment.

Bishop Perumbalath (pictured) said: “I do not wish this story to become a distraction for this incredible diocese and its people, whom it has been an honour and joy to serve.

“This is not a resignation occasioned by fault or by any admission of liability.

“Rather it has become clear that stepping back from my ministry and waiting for the completion of further reviews would mean a long period of uncertainty for the diocese and all those who serve it.”

It comes at a tumultuous time for the Church of England over various safeguarding failures, which has already seen Justin Welby quit as Archbishop of Canterbury over the handling of a separate case.

Bishop Perumbalath – who claimed there had been a “trial by media (be that social or broadcast)” which had made his position untenable – said his resignation from active ministry was “with immediate effect”.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell – who has faced his own calls to resign over separate alleged safeguarding failures – said he respected the decision.

He said: “I acknowledge the decision made by the Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath to resign from active ministry in the Church of England. I respect his decision and thank him for his ministry.

“My thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those who have been affected by this situation.

“I am committed to ensuring stability during this time of transition and will be putting the necessary arrangements in place to provide episcopal oversight for the diocese.

“An acting bishop for the Diocese of Liverpool will be announced in the coming days.”

A spokesperson for the Church of England has previously said that in 2023 a complaint of alleged misconduct against the bishop was brought to the National Safeguarding Team (NST).

A conclusion was reached that there was not sufficient evidence to bring a safeguarding-related complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM) but the woman was offered support if she wished to do so.

The Church also said the complaint was investigated by police which resulted in no further action.

A further disclosure was made by another woman, and the information was “explored and assessed not to be a safeguarding matter but a matter of alleged misconduct”, the spokesperson said.

The second complainant did not bring a CDM complaint within the one-year deadline.

She later applied for permission to bring it after the deadline, which the Archbishop of York supported, but this was refused by an independent judge, the Deputy President of Tribunals, they added.

Members of the senior leadership of the Liverpool diocese, who had written to Mr Cottrell calling for Bishop Perumbalath to go, said it was a “deeply painful situation”.

Archdeacon of Liverpool Miranda Threlfall-Holmes said she “really, really” feels for everyone involved in the allegations, including Bishop Perumbalath himself.

She told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme that members of the clergy and congregations covered by the diocese felt that “if allegations like this were made against them or any member of their family in their normal course of work, they would be immediately stepped back while an investigation was carried out”.

She added: “We agree with them, we don’t feel there should be a different process. We were hoping that he would step back as a neutral act to enable everyone to have confidence that a proper investigation had happened.”

She said the Church of England leadership is fit to deal with the allegations, despite a string of recent scandals.

Dr Threlfall-Holmes said: “We are in a place at the moment where we know there is considerable work that needs to be done on our processes, and that work is being done.

“There’s been a huge amount of change happening within within safeguarding and within policies, and the ways things are handled over the last few years, and things are getting really better.”

Sir Keir Starmer expects a thorough investigation, Downing Street said.

“The Prime Minister expects all allegations to be taken seriously and to be thoroughly investigated, and safeguarding must always be prioritised as of critical importance,” a No 10 spokesman said.

Copyright (c) PA Media Ltd. 2024, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) The Church of England.