John Smyth, a name now synonymous with a horrific abuse scandal within the Church of England, died in 2018, escaping justice for decades of brutal crimes. This “appalling abuser,” as described in the damning Makin report, exploited his position within a Christian charity to assault over 100 children and young men. The repercussions of his actions and the subsequent cover-up have shaken the Church of England to its core, leading to the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and raising serious questions about accountability and safeguarding within the institution and the UK police system.
The Makin report, published earlier this month, exposed a shocking “active cover up” within the Church of England that spanned over 30 years, effectively shielding John Smyth England from scrutiny and allowing his abuse to continue unchecked. This investigation revealed Smyth to be a “prolific, brutal and horrific” abuser of children and young men. Disturbingly, evidence of Smyth’s heinous crimes had surfaced as early as the 1980s, meticulously documented in the Ruston report of 1982. This internal Church document detailed the systematic physical and sexual abuse inflicted upon victims, including accounts of children being caned hundreds of times until they bled. Despite the graphic and disturbing nature of these findings, individuals within the Church prioritized secrecy, enabling Smyth to relocate to southern Africa and perpetrate further abuse. While in Zimbabwe, Smyth was tried for culpable homicide following the suspicious death of a 16-year-old boy, but the case ultimately collapsed, further highlighting the failures in holding him accountable.
The question remains: why did John Smyth England, a man described as “the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England,” evade prosecution for so long? The answer lies in a complex web of institutional failures, missed opportunities, and a potential lack of urgency from law enforcement.
The Timeline of Police Inaction in the John Smyth England Case
British police were first alerted to allegations against John Smyth England in the summer of 2013. A victim seeking counselling from the Bishop of Ely’s safeguarding advisor disclosed information that was subsequently passed to Cambridgeshire police. This initial report included details concerning this victim and another alleged survivor. However, according to the Makin review, the safeguarding advisor was informed by police that Smyth’s actions, while constituting an “abuse of trust,” were “unlikely to reach the threshold for a criminal investigation.”
Cambridgeshire Police, in a statement to the BBC, maintained that “with the limited information available at the time, and the victims’ not wishing to make a complaint, it was not possible for us to pursue an investigation.” The Ely diocese was then advised to contact Hampshire Police, the jurisdiction where most of the alleged offenses occurred. Cambridgeshire Police stated that an intelligence report was sent to Hampshire Police, although the Makin review found no record of this.
Hampshire Police’s account indicates they received their first report of abuse in October 2014, initially handled by officers from the Metropolitan Police. A representative from the Titus Trust, the successor charity to the organization running the summer camps where the abuse took place, provided a summary of the allegations. Crucially, the identities of the alleged victims were withheld. Hampshire Police stated they requested these details but were refused, with the Titus Trust representative claiming the victims would contact the police directly. The Titus Trust disputes this version of events, asserting they were instructed by Met officers not to include victim names in their initial oral report.
This failure to establish direct contact with victims at this juncture is identified as a “critical and important missed opportunity” by individuals who contributed to the Makin review. Hampshire Police concluded at the time that “the matter was filed pending any new information coming to light.”
Operation Hydrant and the Weight of Historical Abuse Cases in England
New information finally emerged in late 2016 when the Oxford diocese contacted Thames Valley police, disclosing the full Ruston report. This document, compiled over three decades prior, provided graphic details of the beatings administered by John Smyth England. For the first time, police had access to a comprehensive account of Smyth’s brutality.
However, because the Ruston report contained no evidence of crimes within the Thames Valley area, the information was passed to national policing colleagues working on Operation Hydrant. Established in 2014 in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal, Operation Hydrant was designed to coordinate the national police response to historical child sexual abuse allegations.
A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) explained to the BBC that there had been a “surge in adults reporting being sexually abused as a child” during this period. This influx of reports led to concerns about potential duplication of efforts across different police forces as victims reported multiple offenders in various geographical locations. The NPCC confirmed that Operation Hydrant received referrals related to John Smyth England and that information was shared with relevant police forces.
The Makin Review directly questioned the police’s overall handling of the reports during this period and the apparent lack of follow-up. A suggested explanation for the inaction was that police may have been “overwhelmed in this period by historic allegations of abuse.” The NPCC acknowledged that “police forces up and down the country saw a massive increase in non-recent reports of child sexual abuse during this period which did present resourcing challenges for many.”
Justice Delayed and Ultimately Denied for Victims of John Smyth England
It wasn’t until 2017, following press reporting by Channel 4 News prompted by Smyth survivor advocate Andrew Graystone, that police finally launched a formal investigation, named Operation Cubic. Graystone had shared the Ruston report with the press, hoping to compel police action, believing they were “too busy with Jimmy Savile and other victims.”
Graystone argues that police should have been “more assiduous in following up whether victims they did know about had been contacted and therefore had had the opportunity to respond.” He contends that a lack of “curiosity” about the potential wider scale and severity of Smyth’s offenses resulted in further delays. Ultimately, when the full extent of John Smyth England’s crimes became public, it was too late for justice to be served in a courtroom.
In 2018, the Crown Prosecution Service determined there was a case to answer and initiated proceedings to bring Smyth back to the UK from South Africa for questioning. However, John Smyth England died in August 2018, before he could be held accountable.
Hampshire police stated, “While the victims will not see the suspect charged and the allegations put before a court, we hope that the updates provided to them during the course of the investigation provided some reassurance that their allegations were taken seriously.”
The NPCC acknowledged past failures, stating, “In the past many victims have been failed. This is not good enough and policing has worked hard to learn from its mistakes… The approach today to tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation has evolved and is much improved in many aspects. However, there is still much to do, and making these improvements is a significant priority for national policing.”
The John Smyth England case stands as a stark reminder of the systemic failures that can allow abuse to persist and justice to be denied. It highlights the critical need for robust safeguarding measures within institutions like the Church of England, as well as a proactive and adequately resourced police response to allegations of historical abuse, ensuring that victims are heard and perpetrators are held accountable, even when faced with the overwhelming scale of such cases.
