Welby apology as report says C of E covered up 'brutal' abuse of boys

The Church of England covered up the actions of its most serious and brutal serial abuser, who subjected victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, an independent review has concluded.

- Harriet Sherwood

John Smyth QC, a charismatic barrister, in a "sadistic regime", abused public schoolboys whom he met at evangelical Christian holiday camps in the late 1970s and early 80s. When the abuse was discovered, Smyth was allowed to move abroad in the full knowledge of church officials, where he continued to act with impunity.

Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, volunteered at the camps in the 1970s, but has denied any knowledge of Smyth's abuse. The report said this was "unlikely". It added: "[Welby] may not have known of the extreme seriousness of the abuse, but it is most probable that he would have had at least a level of knowledge that John Smyth was of some concern. It is not possible to establish whether Welby knew of the severity of the abuses in the UK prior to 2013."