The Church of England is tonight facing a new crisis as the Bishop of Liverpool is accused of sexual assaults.
Two women have made allegations they were sexually assaulted by John Perumbalath, with one of the complainants a CoE female bishop.
The revelations were unearthed by a Channel 4 News investigation with Bishop John accused of sexually assaulting one woman in the Chelmsford diocese on separate occasions between 2019 and 2023.
Tonight, a senior member of the General Synod accused the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell of a ‘cover up’ after it emerged he knew of the sexual assault allegations before Bishop John was enthroned in April 2023.
Bishop John was voluntarily interviewed under caution by police last March, but the investigation was closed due to insufficient evidence. No charges have to date been brought.
The alleged assaults are claimed to have taken place during his previous job as Bishop of Bradwell in Essex.
Bishop John is currently waiting a seat in the House of Lords and is is one of just two bishops sitting on a commission overseeing clergy discipline.
One accuser claimed Bishop John in March 2019 held her head ‘too tightly’ as she tried to move away while he was ‘kissed me forcefully on my mouth’.
Two women have made allegations they were sexually assaulted by the Bishop of Liverpool John Perumbalath, with one of the complainants a CoE female bishop
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
