Peter Ball (bishop)
Peter Ball | |
---|---|
Former Bishop of Gloucester | |
Diocese | Diocese of Gloucester |
In office | 1992–1993 |
Predecessor | John Yates |
Successor | David Bentley |
Other post(s) | Bishop of Lewes 1977–1992 (suffragan bishop: 1984–1992) |
Orders | |
Ordination | 1956 (deacon) 1957 (priest) |
Consecration | 1977 |
Personal details | |
Born | February 14, 1932 |
Denomination | Anglican |
Occupation | Bishop, monk |
Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge |
Criminal status | Released on licence in February 2017 |
Conviction(s) | 8 September 2015 (guilty plea) |
Criminal charge | Misconduct in public office, Indecent assault, |
Penalty | 32 months in prison |
Peter John Ball CGA (born 14 February 1932) is a retired British bishop in the Church of England and convicted sex offender. In 1960 he and his twin brother (Michael Ball) established a monastic community, the Community of the Glorious Ascension, through which Ball came into contact with many boys and young men. He was the suffragan Bishop of Lewes from 1977 to 1992 and the diocesan Bishop of Gloucester from 1992 to 1993, when he resigned after being cautioned for sexual abuse; he continued to officiate at several churches after that.[1]
In October 2015, Ball was sentenced to 32 months' imprisonment for misconduct in public office and indecent assault after admitting the abuse of 18 young men over a period of 15 years from 1977 to 1992.[2][3][4][5] Further charges of indecently assaulting two boys, aged 13 and 15, were allowed to lie on file in a contentious decision by the CPS.[6] He was released on licence in February 2017.
Early life
Ball was born on 14 February 1932. He was educated at Lancing College, a public school in Lancing, West Sussex. He then studied at Queens' College, Cambridge, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1954; as per convention, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA) degree in 1958.[7] He entered Wells Theological College in 1954 and received two years of training in preparation for ordination.[7]
Ordained ministry
Ball was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1956 and as a priest in 1957.[7] He began his ministry as a curate in Rottingdean.[8] He then received basic monastic training at Kelham Theological College. In 1960 he and his identical twin brother, Michael, founded a monastic community, the Community of the Glorious Ascension (CGA), of which he was prior until his ordination to the episcopate.[9] This brought many young boys who were novice monks into his care over the years.[2] Whilst prior of CGA, he combined his duties as a member of a religious order with several other pastoral roles, including three years as vicar of the Church of the Holy Angels, Hoar Cross, in Staffordshire.
Bishop of Lewes
Ball was suffragan Bishop of Lewes from 1977 to 1992.[1]
Official inquiries into prolonged failure to prevent child abuse in the Diocese of Chichester, of which Lewes is part, brought up allegations against Ball, of which he was later convicted.[2]
Bishop of Gloucester, police caution and resignation
After having been translated to the see of Gloucester in 1992, Ball resigned from his position as Bishop of Gloucester in 1993 after admitting to an act of gross indecency with a 19-year-old man and accepting a formal police caution for it.[10] In 1993, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers said that "sufficient admissible, substantial and reliable evidence" existed that Ball had committed indecent assault and gross indecency.[2] At the time, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Barbara Mills, decided not to prosecute Ball[3] though the CPS believes today that prosecution in 1993 would have been in the public interest.[11]
At Ball's trial in 2015 it was stated that a member of the royal family, a lord chief justice, JPs, cabinet ministers and public school headmasters—"many dozens" of people—had campaigned to support him in 1993. There were a further 2,000 letters of support. The Reverend Graham Sawyer, an abuse victim, wants a full investigation and blames corrupt elements in the British establishment. Sawyer believes that the establishment is still too strong and its links with the church should be investigated.[1] Phil Johnson, who claims Ball abused him when he was 13 years old, said it looked like a deal was done between the Church of England, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the CPS, and said, "I think there was great effort made to avoid bad publicity and to avoid the embarrassment of trying a bishop in public." David Greenwood, a solicitor acting for some victims, said that "With more power comes the ability to work in a culture where you feel that you can get away with it. It seems Peter Ball has been able to do that."[11][12] Keith Porteous Wood, the executive director of the NSS, believes this was an orchestrated campaign. Wood wants to find out who was behind the alleged campaign and also wants to see copies of relevant letters examined and a comprehensive list obtained of callers and writers, particularly of high profile and influential campaigners. There has been a call for the Goddard Inquiry to look into why Ball was not prosecuted in 1993.[13][14]
Retirement
After his resignation, Ball was given accommodation at "Manor Lodge", Aller, Somerset, on the Duchy of Cornwall estate of Charles, Prince of Wales[3][1]). George Carey, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury, allowed Ball to continue officiating as a priest, but not as a bishop, after his resignation (i.e., he could not ordain clergy or confirm but could still celebrate the Eucharist).[3][15] He was granted permission to officiate in the Diocese of Bath and Wells from 2001 to 2010.[7] Peter Hancock, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, was critical of Ball being allowed to serve in the Langport area after his retirement.[16]
Trial and conviction for sexual abuse
In 2007 Peter Halliday, a choirmaster in Guildford in Surrey county, who had told the church that he had abused children in the 1990s but was allowed to continue working with children, was convicted of three counts of sexual abuse of children, and police were concerned that there had been many more cases.[17]
In light of this event and the public airing of the church's bad handling of Halliday, as well as two other high profile sexual abuse convictions, the House of Bishops decided in May 2007 to ask the Central Safeguarding Liaison Group to hold a review of past cases throughout the Church of England, which was carried out starting in 2008.[18]: 9, 12 [19] The Diocese of Chichester and the Sussex Police also began investigating long-standing allegations of sexual abuse in East Sussex.[19][20]
In 2008, Colin Pritchard, a vicar in Bexhill-on-Sea was convicted of sexually abusing two boys; The Guardian described it as the "breakthrough case" for dealing with sexual abuse in the diocese.[19] Roy Cotton, a priest in the Chichester diocese died in 2006 but allegations of abuse by him emerged shortly thereafter.[19] In 2018, Pritchard, who by then changed his name to Ifor Whittaker, was convicted of further sexual abuse that was carried out in collaboration with Cotton.[21]
In 2010 the past cases review was published.[18]: 9, 12 [22]
In 2011 the Diocese of Chichester asked Elizabeth Butler‐Sloss to conduct an independent review of the way the Pritchard and Cotton cases were handled by the Chichester diocese; that report published in 2012.[19][23] The report was severely criticized when it was released.[24] It emerged in 2014 that Phil Johnson, who by that time was a member of the National Safeguarding Panel for the Church, and who had been abused by Cotton and Pritchard and had given testimony to Butler‐Sloss during her 2011 inquiry, made it public that he had told Butler‐Sloss about abuse by Peter Ball, and that she had chosen to omit that in her report.[24]
In May 2012 the review and historic files about Peter Ball were given to the Sussex Police.[1][2]
Ann Lawrence from the Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors organisation described the opening of the police investigation as "a major first step" for the Church of England. Abuse victim Neil Todd, who later died by suicide, said that:
"It is an investigation which to be honest is well overdue. It [the abuse] stayed with me throughout my life's journey and even this far down the track it doesn't feel like there's any real closure. The abuse was varied. The worst of it was mental abuse. Obviously there was a component of sexual abuse. But basically it was mind games and controlling behaviour. (...) When it came to the abuse, the abuse was sexual, mental and physical. He was just not a very nice human being.[25]
The police stated that "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.”[26]
Ball and another priest, Vickery House, were arrested in November 2012.[27][28][29] Sussex Police said Ball was released the same day on medical advice. The police said they intended to interview Ball at a later date. The police statement stated that the offences leading to Ball's being sought for questioning "were allegedly committed against eight boys and young men, all of whom were at [the] time in their late teens or early twenties, except one who was 12."[30] Three days later, police announced that a further seven people had come forward with allegations of abuse by Ball.[31]
On 27 March 2014 Jaswant Narwal, the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service South East, announced that based on review of evidence gathered by Sussex Police, they would seek to prosecute Ball on three charges dating to the time when he served as a bishop.[32][33] The news brief stated that the three charges were:
- Misconduct in public office between 1977 and 1992
- Indecent assault on a boy, aged 12 or 13, in 1978
- Indecent assault on a man, aged 19 or 20, between 1980 and 1982
On 8 September 2015 Ball pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault and one of misconduct in a public office.[34] His trial began on 5 October 2015.[35] Two charges of indecently assaulting two boys in their early teens, perhaps the most serious alleged offences, were allowed to lie on file in a deal with CPS lawyers.[15] Keith Porteous Wood sees this as yet another example of the law enforcement system repeatedly treating Ball leniently.[14]
I urge the prosecuting authorities to reconsider their decision and if appropriate charge him for all credible allegations using the same offences as they would for any ordinary member of the public. This includes "indecent assaults on two other teenage boys, one in Eastbourne in the late 1970s and one in Litlington in the early 1980s. (Keith Porteous Wood) [36]
Bobbie Cheema QC said for the prosecution:
[Ball] was highly regarded as a godly man who had a special affinity with young people. The truth was that he used those 15 years in the position of bishop to identify, groom and exploit sensitive and vulnerable young men who came within his orbit. For him, religion was a cloak behind which he hid in order to satisfy his sexual interest in those who trusted him.[3]
At the Old Bailey on 7 October, Mr Justice Wilkie sentenced Ball to 32 months in prison.[3] He was eligible for parole after 18 months[37] and served under a month for each victim.[38] The late Neil Todd's partner, Marc Hawley, said:
two years and eight months – for 15 years of sexual exploitation, abuse and grooming of young men who came into his orbit while he was the bishop of Lewes. I am more than glad that Peter Ball now resides at Her Majesty’s pleasure even though the sentence is far too lenient for the gravity of his activities.[13]
Many victims have claimed severe lasting harm[39] and Civil Court action against the Diocese of Chichester was lodged in October 2015. A Church of England priest said that when he was a teenager Ball had tried to make him have sex considered an "act of commitment" as a condition of being ordained.[40] There are allegations of serious corruption and cover-ups within the Church of England regarding Ball's abuse.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has ordered an independent review of the way the Church of England dealt with Ball's case,[41] but the Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors group and Keith Porteous Wood are unsure if the investigation will be sufficiently far reaching. Wood accused a former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, of encouraging the cover-up and Carey has been quoted stating:
I was worried that if any other allegations of past indecency were made it [criminal action against Ball] would reignite. I wanted some reassurance that this would not be the case. … I was so troubled, that evening after dinner I went to my study. … I was supplied with a number of a man at the CPS I believed to be a director. I do not recall his name. … I rang him and asked what might happen if allegations from the past were made. … I was told quite categorically that the other allegations would not be taken further as far as we are concerned.[42]
Wood commended current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby for initiating the inquiry.[36] The Guardian's crime correspondent, Sandra Laville, also wrote that Carey knew of the cover-up.[2] Ruth Gledhill, writing in Christianity Today, claims further that Carey intervened personally over the matter.[43] Carey insists he only contacted the CPS after Ball had been cautioned.[12] Abuse survivor Graham Sawyer, who alleges decades of pressure from the Church of England to silence him, believes that the church should no longer police itself.[44] By contrast, a Church of England statement points out they made recent efforts to expose abuse:
[The investigation] began as a direct result of the safeguarding officer at Lambeth Palace raising concerns about Peter Ball following a church initiated review of files. The approach to the police was a proactive step on the part of the national Church leading to a self-initiated referral via CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre) to Sussex Police in 2012. This led to active co-working between Lambeth Palace, the Diocese of Chichester and Sussex Police on a complex enquiry with full information sharing. We pay tribute to those detectives whose work on this case over the past three years has led to this conviction and sentencing.[45]
A former vicar, Vickery House, was convicted in October 2015 and was sentenced to serve 6½ years in prison for sex assaults against men and a boy. House worked in the same diocese as Ball. House and Ball collaborated running a "Give a Year For Christ" scheme and both men abused three of the same victims during the scheme. If Ball had not pleaded guilty both men would have been tried together.[46] There was a long delay between the first complaints to the police over House and a proper police investigation.[47]
Ball was released from prison on licence in February 2017, after having served half of his sentence.[48][49]
After the trial
On 16 December 2015, the BBC published a report on the Ball affair. Cliff James had told the BBC that he informed a cleric in 1992 about abuse he had suffered. James alleges three bishops later telephoned his contact urging her to discourage him and another stated victim from going to the police or to the media. Thirteen different bishops allegedly took no action after a person in the church raised concerns. Ball's housekeeper and gardener, Christine and Michael Moss, said that bishops ignored their concerns over Ball. Michael Moss said, "What upsets me so much is the Church did nothing." BBC reporter Colin Campbell stated that during 20 years three different police forces tried to access information the Church of England held about Ball but investigations started only in 2012. Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester, said he would call the above a cover up and, "in terms of our practice today, that would immediately be the trigger for disciplinary action."[50]
On 23 February 2016, the BBC published information about documents they discovered suggesting Ball's defence team tried during the 1990s to negotiate with the police and avoid a public trial. Ball promised to resign as bishop, leave Britain and retire to a French convent.[51] Ball, however, stayed active as a priest until 2010 and remained in the United Kingdom.
It looks like there was a deeply sinister, coordinated, but probably in the end rather inept attempt at a cover-up.(Graham Sawyer, abuse survivor and vicar who waived his right to anonymity)[52]
The Church of England confirmed that Peter Ball stood in for his twin brother Bishop Michael Ball at services and official duties on several occasions in the 1990s.[53] Bishop Michael said that those attending such occasions had been informed of the substitution, but the report An Abuse of Faith (sections 4.3.5-4.3.8) found cases where those attending were not informed, adding "we have received no evidence to corroborate the assertion that anyone was ever advised that Peter Ball was attending an event in the place of his brother".[49]
Reviews
In early 2016, it was announced that Dame Moira Gibb would chair a review into how the allegations against Ball were handled and why there was so little credence given to his victims, also whether the Church of England complied with its statutory duties.[54] The review had been criticised because, among other reasons, it would take place behind closed doors and lack what was considered necessary transparency, and because it did not "specifically include the questionable role played by the Church in bringing undue influence to bear on the administration of justice concerning Ball's abuse".[55]
I believe that the Church of England review should add bullying and silencing of victims and whistleblowers to the terms of reference and I shall be making this clear to Dame Moira before agreeing to take part. (Graham Sawyer, a vicar and abuse survivor speaking in Feb 2016)[56]
Sawyer stated in April 2016 that he was refusing to co-operate with the review because alleged bullying by high-ranking current church office holders would not be investigated.[57] Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society said:
The institutional bullying and silencing almost succeeded in preventing Bishop Ball ever being brought to justice. The Church's obdurate refusal at the highest levels to specify them [bullying and silencing] in the Terms of Reference should ring alarm bells about the seriousness of its intentions to look at them with the requisite priority. Maintaining the refusal means the principal witness Graham Sawyer, and perhaps others, will not give evidence and this further undermines the validity of the Review. At least he will be able to give his evidence to the Independent (Goddard) Inquiry set up by the Government.[58]
Moira Gibb published her report in June 2017.[59]
The remit of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse includes investigation of the Church of England, and specifically of the Ball case and other cases in the Diocese of Chichester.[51]
2017 review
An independent review in 2017 found that the Church hierarchy, notably former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, colluded in concealing abuse by Peter Ball over a 20-year period. Carey had seven letters from individuals and relatives after Ball was cautioned by police in 1992 but passed only one (of least concern) on to the police. Carey did not put Peter Ball on the 'Lambeth List' of clergy whose suitability for the ministry is questioned. Concealing abuse was given higher priority than helping victims. The review claims, “The church appears to have been most interested in protecting itself.” The report stated further, “progress [towards dealing satisfactorily with claims of abuse in the Church of England] has been slow and continuing, faster improvement is still required”. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the C of E "colluded and concealed", instead of trying to help "those brave enough to come forward". Welby asked Carey to step down from his role assisting the Bishop of Oxford. Rowan Williams was also criticised.
Abuse survivor Graham Sawyer said the C of E treated him and others with contempt. He said, “The church continues to use highly aggressive legal firms to bully, frighten and discredit victims ... In my own case, I continue to endure cruel and sadistic treatment by the very highest levels of the church”. Sawyer wants the police to investigate Carey's part in the Ball case.[60][61][62]
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
The IICSA was investigating the Peter Ball case in 2018, and asked Charles, Prince of Wales and his principal private secretary to give witness statements about Ball, for a hearing starting on 23 July 2018. Charles, who had been in correspondence with Ball, indicated his willingness to assist.[63]
William Chapman, a barrister representing some of the survivors, said, “The story of Peter Ball is the story of the establishment at work in modern times. It is the story of how the establishment minimised the nature of Peter Ball’s misdeeds … and silenced and harassed those who tried to complain.... [Ball had the] willing assistance of members of the establishment. It included the heir to the throne, the archbishop and a senior member of the judiciary, to name only the most prominent....The alacrity and the extent of the response by Peter Ball’s friends to one of their own in trouble was impressive. It makes a horrible contrast to the way Peter Ball’s victims were treated....These establishment helpers claim they were duped by Peter Ball … But you will have to consider if it is credible, given what they must have known or could easily have found out about Peter Ball, whether they were really as ignorant as they claimed they were about the nature of Peter Ball’s activities. Some claimed they did not know what a caution meant. Well, Prince Charles has many advisers; he only had to ask. So does the archbishop of Canterbury.” Chapman added that Ball's friends worked against the criminal process. “They went far beyond the normal obligations of friendship.”[64][65]
Richard Scorer, a lawyer representing other abuse survivors, stated that Carey, former archbishop of Canterbury, bears the greatest responsibility, and called on Carey to give a “transparent account of his actions”. He also said, “If a charlatan with an insatiable appetite for abuse wanted to secure a continuous supply of vulnerable young victims, there was no better way of achieving this than by founding a religious order not subject to any external supervision, and by making his victims participation in the abuse a religious duty obligated by their oath of absolute obedience. Not for the first time, theology and religious ritual provided the ideal mask for abuse, with the evil of what Peter Ball did being compounded by his nauseating claim that the abuse was spiritually uplifting. Most of all, however, Peter Ball found in his fellow bishops in the Church of England the perfect accomplices, prepared to turn a blind eye to his abuse over many decades, to collude in the lie that the abuse of Neil Todd was an uncharacteristic aberration, to cast doubt on his guilt, to smear his victims, and to rehabilitate him.”[64][65]
Fiona Scolding, senior counsel, described a scheme by Ball that enabled him to groom young men for sexual abuse. The men were incited to pray naked, and practise massage and spanking.[64][65]
Selected works
- Ball, Peter (1986). "Exploring the depths: why pray?". In Mayne, Michael (ed.). Encounters: exploring Christian faith. London: Darton, Longman & Todd. pp. 65–74. ISBN 0-232-51669-3.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Harley, Nicola (7 October 2015). "Bishop 'avoided prosecution for sex abuse after royal support' - Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Laville, Sandra (8 September 2015). "Peter Ball victims accuse C of E, police and CPS of sexual abuse cover-up". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f Laville, Sandra (7 October 2015). "Bishop escaped abuse charges after MPs and a royal backed him, court told". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Retired bishop Peter Ball admits sex offences". BBC News. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Bishop Peter Ball sex abuse victims sue Church of England". BBC News. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ Laville, Sandra (8 September 2015). "Former bishop admits sexually abusing young men". the Guardian.
- ^ a b c d "Peter John Ball". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ^ Debrett's People of Today (1992, London, Debrett's) ISBN 1-870520-09-2
- ^ Who's Who 1992 London, A & C Black, 1991 ISBN 0-7136-3514-2
- ^ Brown, Andrew (9 March 1993). "Bishop quits after police caution for indecency". The Independent. London. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Peter Ball should have been prosecuted for sex abuse 22 years ago admits CPS", Christian Today.
- ^ a b "Bishop Ball sex charges caution 'wrong' admits CPS", BBC News.
- ^ a b "Bishop Peter Ball case 'should be part of child sex abuse inquiry'", The Guardian, 9 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Former Anglican bishop Peter Ball jailed as victims sue Church of England over 'cover-up'", Secularism.org website.
- ^ a b "Former bishop admits sexually abusing young men", The Guardian (London), 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Bishop of Bath and Wells: Bishop Peter Ball should not have been allowed to serve in Langport area", Western Gazette.
- ^ Morris, Steven (27 April 2007). "Church choirmaster jailed for child sex abuse". the Guardian.
- ^ a b Singleton, Roger; Lamb, Amanda; Findlater, Donald (June 2018). "Report of the Independent Scrutiny Team into the Adequacy of The Church Of England's Past Cases Review: 2008-2009" (PDF). Church of England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 August 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Booth, Robert (13 November 2012). "Bishop's arrest part of broad inquiry into Chichester diocese child abuse". the Guardian.
- ^ Smith, Andreas Whittam (25 March 2018). "How did one small Church of England diocese produce so many paedophile reverends?". The Independent.
- ^ "Former East Sussex priest sentenced to 16 years for non-recent sex offences against young boy". Sussex Police. 22 February 2018.
- ^ "Press release: Church completes independent child protection survey across dioceses". Church of England. 24 February 2010. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 28 October 2011 suggested (help) - ^ Butler‐Sloss, Elizabeth (28 January 2012). "Historic Cases Review of Roy Cotton and Colin Pritchard" (PDF). Diocese of Chichester (PDF).
{{cite web}}
: Check|archiveurl=
value (help) - ^ a b O’Neill, Sean (12 July 2014). "Inquiry judge hid claims of bishop's sex abuse". The Sunday Times.
- ^ Campbell, Colin (28 May 2012). "Church of England inquiry into Sussex abuse bishop". BBC Online. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^ "Police review dossier over disgraced Bishop". Eastbourne Herald. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ O’Neill, Sean (14 November 2012). "Former bishop the Right Rev Peter Ball held over abuse claims going back 30 years". The Times.
- ^ "Former Bishop Peter Ball arrested over sex abuse claims". BBC News. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
- ^ Pugh, Tom (13 November 2012). "Retired bishop Peter Ball held in child sex abuse investigation". The Independent. London. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
- ^ Sussex Police. "Arrested clergy released - Sussex Police statement". Diocese of Chichester Update, 8:19 pm, Tue 13 Nov 2012. ITV. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- ^ Pugh, Tom (16 November 2012). "More allegations made in investigation of ex-bishop Peter Ball". The Independent. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ Narwal, Jaswant. "Peter Ball (Former Bishop of Gloucester and Lewes) – Charging decision, CPS News Brief Blog 27/03/2014". Crown Prosecution Service. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "Peter Ball (Former Bishop of Gloucester and Lewes) - Charging decision". Crown Prosecution Service. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Former bishop Peter Ball admits sex offences". BBC Online. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ Frank Le Duc (20 January 2015). "Date set for retired bishop and fellow former Brighton priest to face child sex abuse trial". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ a b Peter Ball sex abuse case: 20 questions that must be answered National Secular Society
- ^ "Prison for Bishop Peter Ball, but victims still seek justice", Church Times, 9 October 2015.
- ^ "Peter Ball - jailed for just one month for each victim", The Argus.
- ^ Mr Justice Wilkie (7 October 2015). "Sentencing remarks of Mr Justice Wilkie: R v Ball". judiciary.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ "Bishop Peter Ball sex abuse victims sue Church of England", BBC News, 6 October 2015.
- ^ "Church inquiry into Bishop Peter Ball abuse 'cover up'", BBC News.
- ^ Damning details emerge about establishment cover-up of Anglican sex abuse
- ^ "Former Bishop of Gloucester pleads guilty to sex abuse", Christianity Today.
- ^ "'Deeply corrupt' Church of England tried to silence me, abuse victim claims", ITV.
- ^ "Peter Ball sentenced", Thinking Anglicans website.
- ^ "Vickery House: Priest jailed over sex attacks", BBC.
- ^ "'Nothing done' over priest Vickery House 'sex reports'", BBC.
- ^ "Sex abuse bishop Peter Ball released from prison". BBC News. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ a b Gibb, Moira (22 June 2017), An Abuse of Faith: The Independent Peter Ball Review (PDF), Church of England, sec. 3.12.6, retrieved 11 November 2017
- ^ "Clergy 'tried to cover up Bishop Peter Ball sex abuse'", BBC News.
- ^ a b Independent review to shed light on Church’s handling of Peter Ball case
- ^ "'Cover up' allowed Bishop Peter Ball to escape justice", BBC News.
- ^ Harry Farley (22 March 2016). "Paedophile bishop Peter Ball impersonated twin brother at services". Christian Today. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ "Church seeks 'lessons' from Bishop Peter Ball abuse review", BBC News.
- ^ NSS raises alarm over major flaws in Church’s sex abuse inquiry
- ^ "Church appoints panel to examine its role in Peter Ball abuse case", The Guardian, 23 February 2016.
- ^ Bishop Peter Ball victim steps away from Church investigation into clergy sex abuse
- ^ Church review into abusive Bishop refuses to explicitly consider bullying of victims in its Terms of Reference
- ^ "An Abuse of Faith"
- ^ Justin Welby asks George Carey to quit over church abuse report
- ^ Church 'colluded' with sex abuse bishop Peter Ball
- ^ Barry Duke (22 June 2017). "Flaming June proves a harsh month for Church of England". The Freethinker.
- ^ Caroline Davies (6 June 2018). "Inquiry seeks statement about paedophile bishop from Prince Charles". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ a b c Establishment 'rallied to help ex-bishop later jailed for abuse'
- ^ a b c Bishops were ‘perfect accomplices’ for ‘nauseating’ Peter Ball, IICSA hears
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