Ex Chester bishop Hubert Whitsey 'used position for appalling abuse'

The review found the former Bishop of Chester Hubert Victor Whitsey sexually abused at least 18 victims over a 15 year period

A former bishop "used his position in the church" to sexually abuse at least 18 victims, a review found.

The late Bishop Hubert Victor Whitsey committed "appalling acts" against children, teenagers and vulnerable adults between 1966 and 1981, it said.

In one case he told his victim he had "the power to give you everything you want, and the power to take it away".

The independent review also concluded disclosures from victims were mishandled by church officials.

It heard one victim who came forward was told by another bishop "not to make a fuss".

The review, A Betrayal of Trust, found the former Bishop of Chester, who died in 1987, targeted children and teenagers, both male and female, many of whom had lost a parent.

'Horror and shame'

He told one of his victims, who was 14 when the abuse started, "You've got to be strong for me" and wrote him a cheque for £250 or £350 which he called his "discretionary fund".

Younger victims were given money to buy sweets, which they regarded as "hush money", the review was told.

Some told senior members of the church about the abuse and "opportunities were missed" to intervene in the late 1970s, early 1980s and as recently as 2012, the review found.

Bishop Whitsey "groomed his victims, and often their families to enable this abuse" according to the report's authors, retired judge David Pearl and former detective inspector Kate Wood.

They said that their findings would make "deeply uncomfortable reading for the church".

They concluded that the victims' "appalling" suffering was "clearly made worse by the poor response of church officers at different times when they had the courage to come forward."

The current Bishop of Chester has expressed "horror and shame" at the findings of the review's report.

Mark Tanner said: "Our apologies, which are freely and sincerely given, must be backed up by action.

"I am grateful to all those who have already helped us start to change, to Judge Pearl for this report, and most of all to the incredibly brave survivors who have spoken up and made us listen."

The church first apologised in 2017, following a police report which said Bishop Whitsey would have been questioned under caution in relation to 10 of the witness allegations.