Bishop of Liverpool accused of sexual assault and harassment, Channel 4 reports

By Catarina Demony

LONDON (Reuters) - John Perumbalath, bishop of the English city of Liverpool, has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman and harassing another, Channel 4 reported on Tuesday, in the latest scandal to hit the Church of England in recent months.

In a statement sent to Reuters, Perumbalath denied the allegations, saying he had complied with investigations by the National Safeguarding Team (NST), which manages complex safeguarding cases within the Church of England.

Channel 4 said a woman had accused Perumbalath of sexual assault on separate occasions between 2019 and 2023, and a fellow bishop alleged he sexually harassed her.

"The allegations set out in this (Channel 4) programme are in relation to encounters that took place in public settings, with other people present," Perumbalath said in the statement, adding that in one of the cases the police investigated and decided to take no further action.

He added: "Whilst I don't believe I have done anything wrong, I have taken seriously the lessons learnt through this process addressing how my actions can be perceived by others. I will comply with any investigation deemed necessary."

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby stepped down in November after a report found he had taken insufficient action to stop one of the church's most prolific child abusers.

Another former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, stepped down as a priest the following month over allegations he allowed priest David Tudor, who had been banned in the late 1980s over sexual abuse allegations, to return to ministry under supervision.

Channel 4 also said there were allegations of cover-up by the interim head of the Church of England, Stephen Cottrell, in Perumbalath's case. According to the broadcaster, Cottrell had previously been made aware of allegations against Perumbalath.

Cottrell was previously urged to quit for his handling of Tudor's case.

A Church of England spokesperson said in a statement that in 2023 a complaint of alleged misconduct against Perumbalath was brought to the NST.

"This process concluded that there were no ongoing safeguarding concerns, but a learning outcome was identified with which the bishop fully engaged," the spokesperson said, adding the NST has offered support to the woman in question.

The spokesperson said a further complaint was made by another woman, which was assessed not to be a safeguarding matter but a matter of alleged misconduct.

"Archbishop Stephen (Cottrell) has supported the complainant pastorally throughout the process and continues to offer practical help," the spokesperson said. "He had no part in the decision making around safeguarding or disciplinary matters."

The church said last week that it was considering revamping its safeguarding system to strengthen oversight by an independent organisation.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Daniel Wallis)