Jehovah’s Witness charity appeal against child abuse inquiry dismissed

By David Ainsworth
Civil Society News
April 5, 2017

https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/jehovah-s-witness-appeal-against-regulator-s-child-abuse-inquiry-dismissed.html

A judge has dismissed an appeal by trustees of a Jehovah’s Witness charity against a Charity Commission decision to launch a statutory inquiry into safeguarding.

The regulator launched an inquiry into two charities, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain, and the Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in May 2014 to investigate if adequate safeguarding procedures were in place, following revelations that trustees of the charity had allowed a convicted child abuser to question his victims.

Jonathan Rose, an elder of the New Moston congregation, was jailed for nine months for abusing two women when they were young girls. When he was released, a series of “disfellowship” meetings were held to decide whether Rose should remain a member of the organisation, and the women were asked to recount their ordeal. At one meeting, Rose was allowed to ask the women questions.

Since then the New Moston charity has launched a series of appeals challenging the right of the regulator to launch the inquiry.

The most recent appeal was to the Upper Tribunal, against a judgement by the first tier Charity Tribunal saying the regulator should proceed with its inquiry.

But Justice Asplin, sitting in public at Royal Courts of Justice in London on 2 and 3 March, dismissed the appeal.