Former bishop admits sexually abusing young men

[muriel_volestrangler]

Peter Ball, the former bishop of Lewes and Gloucester, pleaded guilty on Tuesday morning to two counts of indecent assault relating to two young men and one charge of misconduct in public office, which relates to the sexual abuse of 16 young men over a period of 15 years from 1977-1992.
...
On Tuesday, the Crown Prosecution Service allowed two charges of indecently assaulting two boys in their early teens to lie on file. The deal, hammered out in secret with CPS lawyers, means Ball will not face trial on perhaps the most serious alleged offences, which involved boys aged 13 and 15.
...
When claims against Ball were made in 1993, conversations were held between police, prosecutors and the church before it was decided to caution the bishop rather than charge him.

This was despite what CPS lawyers said was “sufficient, admissible, substantial and reliable evidence” of indecent assault and gross indecency.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/08/former-bishop-peter-ball-admits-sexually-abusing-young-men

He is a good friend of Prince Charles, who supplied him with a cottage to live in after he had resigned in 1993 - which was after a caution for one instance of 'gross indecency' with a man of 19 (at that time the homosexual age of consent was 21, lowered to 18 in 1994 (now 16, same as heterosexual), so it is possible that was consensual).

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. 13 and 15 are not 'young men'

They are kids.

"Young man" is language intended to transfer adult responsibility onto children.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. He's admitted to the offences with the older youths, but not the 13 and 15 year olds

He's pleaded guilty to indecent assault of victims over the age of consent, ie it was not consensual. He has denied the accusations about those under the age of consent, and they aren't prosecuting those further, to the annoyance of many.

He denied two other counts of indecently assaulting boys - one aged 12 or 13 and the other aged 15 - which will lie on file.
...
Det Ch Insp Carwyn Hughes, from Sussex Police, said Ball had systematically abused the trust of his victims, who included aspiring priests.

He said he used religion as a cloak behind which to carry out his grooming activity, in order to satisfy his sexual interest and desire for young men.

And he said the misconduct offence involved 16 young men in their late teens or early 20s.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34184967

[Warren Stupidity]

3. jesus christ. That article is a tale of depravity and corruption across the board and at the highest

levels. Of course this has nothing at all to do with religion, religious institutions, religious privilege, or the negative impact of religion and religious institutions on society. Nope. Nothing at all.

queue the doltish apologies....