Church leaders call for Bishop’s dismissal after sexual assault claims

A senior Church of England bishop accused of groping and sexually harassing women is facing calls to resign.

One woman claimed John Perumbalath, the Bishop of Liverpool, forcefully kissed her, touched her breasts, and made inappropriate comments on separate occasions between 2019 and 2013.

Describing one encounter at a chapel music evening, she said: ‘He pressed his face against my face, said “I love you” quietly in my ear, and moved his mouth to just below my ear, on the pulse point on my neck.

‘He opened his mouth, took a piece of my skin between his lips, and let go.’

A female bishop – one of 31 in the Church of England – has also accused Perumbalath of sexually harassing her, Channel 4 News revealed on Tuesday.

Now leading figures in his own backyard are calling on him to step down.

A statement signed by six members of the senior leadership of the Diocese of Liverpool said: ‘Having listened to clergy, congregations and staff at the diocesan offices and the cathedral, it is with deep regret that the senior leadership of the Diocese of Liverpool feel that the position of the Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath is currently untenable.

‘We believe that the allegations made by the female bishop need to be fully and properly investigated.

‘We also believe that while these proper investigations are conducted, the Bishop of Liverpool will need to step aside from all ministry in the Diocese of Liverpool.’

The letter was signed by Debra Walker, the chair of the House of Laity, chair of the House of Clergy Peter Dawkin and the Dean of Liverpool Sue Jones.

It was also signed by Archdeacon of Knowsley & Sefton Pete Spiers, the Archdeacon of Liverpool Miranda Threlfall-Holmes and the Archdeacon of St Helens and Warrington Simon Fisher.

Perumbalath previously said: ‘The allegations set out in this programme are in relation to encounters that took place in public settings, with other people present.

‘I have consistently denied the allegations made against me by both complainants. I have complied with any investigation from the National Safeguarding Team.

‘The allegations raised in Essex were also investigated by the police who took no further action.

‘Whilst I don’t believe I have done anything wrong, I have taken seriously the lessons learned through this process addressing how my actions can be perceived by others.

‘I will comply with any investigation deemed necessary. I take safeguarding very seriously and work hard to provide proper leadership in this area.’

The accusations – which Perumbalath denies – relate to his time as Bishop of Bradwell, in Essex, and were first reported to church authorities before he was enthroned as Bishop of Liverpool in 2023.

No safeguarding concerns were identified by a Church panel in relation to the first woman’s accusations, while the female bishop’s complaint wasn’t accepted as it had been more than a year since the alleged incident occurred.

That Perumbalath was not stood down for the duration of an investigation, and that a Church judge did not permit the one-year limit to be extended, has sparked accusations of a cover-up by Church leadership.

In part, this is due to the involvement of interim head of the Church of England, Stephen Cottrell, who served as Bishop of Chelmsford when Perumbalath was a junior bishop in the area and was made aware of the claims before Perumbalath was enthroned in Liverpool.

Cottrell took over as the most senior Church of England clergy after his predecessor Justin Welby resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury last year over his handling of abuse cases.

Welby had failed to ensure a proper investigation was carried out into the ‘abhorrent’ abuse of more than 130 boys and young men starting in the 1970s by John Smyth QC.

Cottrell has also faced calls to resign over his own handling of a sexual abuse case when he was Bishop of Chelmsford.

He had allegedly allowed a priest to keep his job despite knowing the Church had barred him from being alone with children and the priest had paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim.

In relation to the latest claims about Perumbalath, Reverend Robert Thompson, who sits on the highest governing body of the Church of England, the General Synod, accused Cottrell of a cover up.

‘The fact that it is Stephen Cottrell really raises lots more issues about his own conduct’, he said.

‘It could well be another instance of a church cover up. I think one of the difficulties at the heart of the top of our church is that there is a protectionist culture between bishops in relation to bishops behavior. And lots of us know that happens all the time.’

A spokesperson for the Church of England said safeguarding guidelines were following, ‘a learning outcome was identified with which the bishop fully engaged’.

They said the first woman was offered support in making a complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure, while Cottrell supported the female bishop’s appeal to have the one-year limit extended.

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