Bishop of Liverpool denies wrongdoing after misconduct allegations from two women

In a statement after Channel 4 first reported claims, the Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath said he "consistently denied" them and had complied with any church investigation.

"The allegations set out in this programme are in relation to encounters that took place in public settings, with other people present," he said.

He added that a claim of misconduct made in Essex had been "investigated by the police who took no further action".

The bishop added that while "I don't believe I have done anything wrong", he took "seriously the lessons learnt through this process addressing how my actions can be perceived by others" and said he would comply "with any investigation deemed necessary".

The Church of England also confirmed that a complaint of alleged misconduct was raised against the bishop early in 2023.

It said: "The complaint was looked into according to statutory safeguarding guidance… and an independent risk assessment undertaken.

"This process concluded that there were no ongoing safeguarding concerns, but a learning outcome was identified with which the bishop fully engaged."

Shortly after the first complaint, the church added a "further disclosure was made by another woman".

The church said the later allegation was "assessed not to be a safeguarding matter but a matter of alleged misconduct".

It added the second woman brought her claim too late for action to be taken and that Stephen Cottrell - the Archbishop of York - was involved in supporting the woman.

"He had no part in the decision making around safeguarding or disciplinary matters," the statement said.

A letter from the Diocese of Liverpool, released on Tuesday, said, while some allegations had been found "unsubstantiated", one of misconduct was not "fully investigated".

"We understand that an allegation of misconduct was not fully investigated, and we believe that in the interests of justice this should now happen.

"Some will be angry and some will feel let down. We are available for those who wish to talk and encourage anyone who is a victim of abuse to report it so it can be properly investigated."

It added: "As flawed human beings we are held together in the love of God.

"These are difficult times for the Diocese of Liverpool and we need to come together to create a safe church, a place where we can love and serve the Lord."

Mr Cottrell was criticised last year after a BBC investigation claimed when he was Bishop of Chelmsford, he let priest David Tudor stay in post in the diocese despite knowing he had been banned by the Church from being alone with children and paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim.

He said at the time he was "deeply sorry that we were not able to take action earlier" but added he "acted immediately" within the authority he had regarding the case.

-SKY NEWS