Bishop of Carlisle: Reprimand for child abuser reference 'woefully inadequate'

The Right Reverend James Newcome made "significant errors of judgement", The Church of England said

A reprimand handed down to the Bishop of Carlisle for providing a character reference for a child-abusing colleague has been branded "woefully inadequate".

The Right Reverend James Newcome wrote the endorsement for the Reverend Robert Bailey, 71, who was later convicted of abusing two schoolgirls.

Bishop Newcome was given an "informal rebuke" by the Archbishop of York.

Campaigners against church-based abuse are angry that it "doesn't really specify" what actions will be taken.

Earlier this week, The Church of England said Bishop Newcome made "significant errors of judgement" in providing the testimonial for Bailey, who was jailed for more than eight years in September.

The bishop, who later withdrew the reference which Bailey had asked him to write, has apologised for the "hurt" he caused.

However, Phil Johnson, a child abuse survivor who set up the group Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors, said: "To try and influence a court even if it's over somebody's character in a safeguarding matter shows naivety and ignorance about safeguarding.

"The rebuke that has been put on to the bishop's record doesn't really specify what actions there actually are against him and to me this seems woefully inadequate."

Robert Bailey admitted the child sex offences and was jailed for eight years and four months

David Greenwood, spokesman for the Stop Church Child Abuse Campaign, said: "Bishops are the heads and pinnacle of safeguarding decisions for their diocese.

"We have been advocating that safeguarding in churches is taken outside of the church and given to an independent body.

"If this had happened with a head teacher I would expect a board of governors would be sacking him or her for having written a reference for a child abuser who was sentenced to eight years in prison."

The Church of England said it had taken the first steps towards the independent overseeing of its National Safeguarding Team, with changes "possible by the summer".

Bailey admitted child sex offences committed while he was working in Bishops Canning, near Devizes, in Wiltshire.

He had been a vicar in the Diocese of Carlisle from 1999 until his retirement to Salisbury in 2011 and had known Bishop Newcome for 18 years.