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SWANSEA: Police appeal for further victim-survivors to come forward after former bishop’s child sex offence conviction

South Wales Police is appealing for further victim-survivors to come forward following the conviction of former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon Anthony Pierce for child sex offences.

The 84-year-old, of Swansea Vale, pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault on a child under the age of 16 at Swansea Crown Court in February last year.

He was sentenced to four years and one month in prison.

Upon his release, he will be made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Pierce was previously found guilty of indecent assault with a child in proceedings that drew national attention to the failures of the Church in Wales to act on earlier complaints about his conduct.

Since his sentencing, South Wales Police has received three further reports of offences dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, which are under investigation.

The force is now urging anyone else who may have been affected to come forward.

Detective Inspector Tom Richardson of Swansea CID said the bravery of the original victim had been instrumental in bringing Pierce to justice.

“We know how difficult it must be for anyone to have suffered abuse in the past to come forward now. It was the bravery of the victim who reported Pierce’s actions which was instrumental in bringing him to justice,” he said.

He confirmed three further people had come forward since the conviction. “Since the conviction and sentencing of Pierce we have received reports from three people who have taken that first step in coming forward,” he said.

DI Richardson said the force believed there may be others affected. “We believe that there may be others who have been subject to Pierce’s crimes and we want to provide reassurance that any reports will be fully investigated and dealt with sensitively and with compassion,” he said.

He encouraged anyone affected to speak to the police. “We recognise that coming forward can be daunting but would encourage victim-survivors to speak with us so they can get the support and help they deserve,” he said.

The case has previously raised serious questions about how complaints against Pierce were handled within the Church.

Children’s Commissioner for Wales Rocio Cifuentes called for reform after what she described as serious failures in the Church’s handling of complaints relating to Pierce – and called for an end to the practice of religious institutions investigating themselves when allegations of child abuse arise.

Anyone with information that may assist the ongoing investigation, or anyone who has been affected by Pierce’s offending, is asked to contact South Wales Police on 101, quoting occurrence number 2600140999.

Reports can also be made anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

For information and a supporting guide on reporting sexual offences, visit south-wales.police.uk.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, support is available.

• The Survivors Trust – 0808 801 0818 – thesurvivorstrust.org
• NAPAC (National Association for People Abused in Childhood) – 0808 801 0331 – napac.org.uk
• Rape Crisis England and Wales – 0808 802 9999 – rapecrisis.org.uk
• Samaritans – 116 123 (free, 24/7)

Children’s Commissioner demands reform after ‘serious failures’ in Church’s handling of paedophile bishop

A review into how the Church handled allegations against Anthony Pierce, the former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, revealed a series of “serious failures” over several decades.

Senior clergy knew of sexual abuse concerns against Pierce in the 1990s but did not report them to the police until 2010. Despite this, he was still promoted to Archdeacon in 1995 and then Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in 1999.

Pierce was jailed last year for sexually abusing a boy in the 1980s while serving as a parish priest in West Cross, Swansea. He had previously been found guilty of indecent assault with a child.

Following his conviction, the Church in Wales also took the step of deposing Mr Pierce from holy orders, meaning he is no longer a priest.

Now, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Rocio Cifuentes MBE, has said the case demonstrates “why independent oversight of safeguarding arrangements in faith settings remains essential.”

“Children and survivors must have confidence that their concerns will be acted on robustly and impartially, not minimised or ignored,” she said.

“The report also highlights a clear need for a strong, safe whistleblowing pathway for individuals within institutions to be able to raise concerns without fear of negative consequences. I will be raising this again with Welsh Government, and will seek a meeting with the Church in Wales to discuss their response.”

The Commissioner is now calling for a requirement for a clear, safe whistleblowing route within faith settings, independent oversight of safeguarding in religious institutions, and stronger national governance, including the consideration of a Child Protection Authority.

She said the current review of safeguarding governance in Wales is an important moment to strengthen protections and ensure gaps like those highlighted in this case are finally addressed.

“Children and adults affected by abuse deserve timely, trauma-informed support and clear routes to raise concerns, which should always be acted upon,” she added, paying tribute to the courage of those who came forward.

The Church in Wales has published the full report on its website and has said it accepts its findings in full, with the Archbishop of Wales describing the review as showing a “catalogue of failures” which can “only be a source of shame for the Church.”

The Most Revd Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales, said:

“The welfare of the victims of sexual abuse must always be our paramount concern, and we offer our most heartfelt apologies to those who have been failed by the Church in the past.

“The review shows in painful detail the missed opportunities, the harmful assumptions and the inadequate processes which characterised the Church’s response to these allegations of abuse for far too long. This catalogue of failures can only be a source of shame for the Church and will have caused further trauma to abuse victims and their families.”

The Archbishop added that while safeguarding processes had “improved immeasurably” since the periods covered by the review, there was “no room for complacency.”

The current Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, the Rt Revd John Lomas, also apologised unreservedly for the failings.

He said:

“The trauma experienced by victims of abuse within the Church is made all the worse by the breach of trust they have suffered, and, as this review has shown, by the failings of the Church as an institution.

“While nothing can undo the wrongs of the past, and while we can only apologise unreservedly for the failings this review has brought to light, we hope that this review will go some way towards showing our determination to be clear and robust in ensuring these issues can never happen again.”

Census: Christians a minority in England; non-religious grow
Fewer than half the people in England and Wales consider themselves Christian, according to the most recent census — the first time a minority of the population has followed the country's official religion.

#CofE #churchofengland #churchinwales

https://religionnews.com/2022/11/30/census-christians-a-minority-in-england-non-religious-grow/