Personal details of Church of England abuse victims leaked, say survivors

By Muvija M

LONDON (Reuters) -The personal details of almost 200 survivors of abuse in the Church of England had been leaked in a data breach from a scheme that was set up to offer them compensation, a victims' group and officials said.

It was another blow for the Church, which has been working to restore trust after a series of sexual abuse cases and the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in November over failures in handling a child abuse case.

The Church – central to 85 million Anglicans worldwide – approved an independent redress scheme for victims when its governing body met in February, alongside a broader shake-up of its safeguarding structure.

The details of 194 victims were included in an email sent late on Tuesday to people who had registered for compensation, as well as to law firms and Church officials, according to The House of Survivors, a group founded by church abuse victims.

It said the email was sent by the law firm which manages the redress scheme, Kennedys Law, and then recalled minutes later.

The leak reinforced "the very failures of safeguarding and care that the redress scheme was meant to address," The House of Survivors added.

The Church said it was aware of the "deeply regrettable data incident". "We recognise the distress this has caused, particularly for survivors who trusted the scheme to handle their information with care and confidentiality," it added in a statement.

Kennedys Law said it accepted full responsibility, had launched an internal investigation and would comply with any regulatory investigations.

"Kennedys is deeply sorry for the hurt and concern caused to everyone affected by this significant error," it added.

A spokesperson for Britain's privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office, said it was aware of the incident and was assessing the information provided.

David Greenwood, a lawyer representing abuse victims, called on the Church to compensate those affected.

He said one of his clients, who did not wish to be identified, had lodged a complaint, saying: "I have a right to lifelong anonymity under the law. This protection has now been severely compromised through no choice of my own."

(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Elizabeth Piper and Andrew Heavens)