Although John Smyth’s abuse of boys at Christian camps took place in the 1970s and 1980s, decades passed before any action was taken.
The barrister’s abuse was first reported to the charity the Iwerne Trust, where he had been chairman, in the early 1980s.
A report detailing his “horrific” beatings of teenaged boys was presented to some Church leaders in 1982.
But the recipients of that report “participated in an active cover-up” to prevent its findings, including that crimes had been committed, coming to light, the Makin review – a damning independent review published last week – said.
Smyth’s abuse in the UK re-emerged in 2012, when a church officer in Cambridgeshire received a letter “out of the blue” from a fellow survivor.
The Makin review stated that five police forces were told of the abuse between 2013 and 2016. Church leaders however did not lodge a formal report. Welby became Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013.
The Makin report said that if police in the UK and authorities in South Africa had been notified at this time, “Smyth could have [been] brought to justice at a much earlier point”.
It was not until 2017, after a Channel 4 documentary revealed details about Smyth’s abuse to the public, that police launched a full investigation.
Smyth is believed to have continued his abuse in South Africa until his death in 2018.
