No charges for Bishop Ball: The Church of England Newspaper, February 7, 2014 February 17, 2014
Posted by geoconger in Abuse, Church of England, Church of England Newspaper.Tags: Diocese of Chichester, Peter Ball
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The former Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt. Rev. Peter Ball, who was arrested in November 2012 on suspicion of child abuse, has not been charged following an 18 month investigation by detectives from Sussex Police.
On 28 Jan 2014, the Crown Prosecution Service said it was still considering the case against Bishop Ball, who was arrested in his Somerset home in November 2012 as part of Operation Dunhill. The bishop was reported to have been taken ill following his arrest.
Sussex Police had initiated an investigation after the Church of England turned over the results of its internal review of Bishop Ball.
In 1993 Bishop Ball resigned after he was cautioned by the police for having committed an act of gross indecency against a teenager. The now 81 year old bishop was licenced to officiate at church services following his resignation, but has not had the licence renewed since 2010.
In 2012 a Sussex Police spokesman it had “received from Lambeth Palace two reports from a Church safeguarding consultant, which contain reviews of Church safeguarding files relating to historic issues in the Chichester Diocese. We have also received the files themselves.
“The reports and files relate to matters more than 20 years ago and we will review the contents in order to establish whether any police investigation of possible criminal offences would be merited.”
The late Bishop of Chichester, the Rt. Rev. Eric Kemp, was skeptical of the veracity of the charges brought against Bishop Ball. In his 2006 memoirs, Shy But Not Retiring, Bishop Kemp stated: “Although it was not realized at the time, the circumstances which led to his early resignation were the work of mischief makers.”
Retired Bishop of Gloucester arrested for child abuse: Anglican Ink, November 13, 2012 November 13, 2012
Posted by geoconger in Abuse, Anglican Ink, Church of England.Tags: Diocese of Chichester, Diocese of Gloucester, Peter Ball
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Peter Ball
The former Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt. Rev. Peter Ball has been arrested for child abuse.
On 14 Nov 2012 detectives from the Sussex Police serious crimes unit arrested the retired bishop at his home Manor Lodge in the Somerset village of Aller – a “grace and favour” property owned by the Duchy of Cornwall – and charged him with eight counts of abuse on boys aged 12 to their early 20’s committed approximately 25 years ago while Bishop Ball served as Bishop of Lewes in the Diocese of Chichester.
In 1993 Bishop Ball resigned after he was cautioned by the police for having committed an act of gross indecency against a teenager. The now 80 year old bishop was licensed to officiate at church services following his resignation, but has not had the license renewed since 2010.
Read it all in Anglican Ink.
Former Bishop of Gloucester under police investigation: The Church of England Newspaper, June 10, 2012 p 2. June 11, 2012
Posted by geoconger in Abuse, Church of England, Church of England Newspaper.Tags: Diocese of Chichester, Peter Ball
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Sussex Police have begun an investigation of the former Bishop of Gloucester after the Church of England turned over the results of its internal review of the Rt. Rev. Peter Ball.
In 1993 Bishop Ball resigned after he was cautioned by the police for having committed an act of gross indecency against a teenager. The now 80 year old bishop was licenced to officiate at church services following his resignation, but has not had the licence renewed since 2010.
A Church House spokesman told the BBC that “at our instigation a former police officer, now a safeguarding adviser, has undertaken a review of all files relating to a retired bishop.”
“On the basis of the findings, this review has now been forwarded to Sussex Police.”
The spokesman stated that as the matter was now in police hands, the church would not be commenting further. Spokesmen for the Archbishop of Canterbury also declined to respond to queries on the investigation of Bishop Ball from The Church of England Newspaper.
A police spokesman said that over the past two weeks the Sussex Police had “received from Lambeth Palace two reports from a Church safeguarding consultant, which contain reviews of Church safeguarding files relating to historic issues in the Chichester Diocese. We have also received the files themselves.
“The reports and files relate to matters more than 20 years ago and we will review the contents in order to establish whether any police investigation of possible criminal offences would be merited.”
“This review is likely to take several weeks. We are not prepared to expand on this statement at this time,” the police spokesman said.
Educated at Lancing College and Queen’s College, Cambridge, Bishop Ball was ordained in 1956 and served his curacy in Rottingdean. After further study at Kelham Theological College, Bishop Ball with his twin brother, Michael — who later served as Suffragan Bishop of Jarrow and Bishop of Truro — formed the Community of the Glorious Ascension in Staffordshire. Bishop Ball served as prior of the community until his appointment as Suffragan Bishop of Lewes. In 1992 he was translated to Gloucester, but resigned within the year.
The late Bishop of Chichester, the Rt. Rev. Eric Kemp, was skeptical of the veracity of the charges brought against Bishop Ball. In his 2006 memoirs, Shy But Not Retiring, Bishop Kemp stated: “Although it was not realized at the time, the circumstances which led to his early resignation were the work of mischief makers.”
First printed in The Church of England Newspaper.
Conger 