UNITED KINGDOM
The Independent
Church of England sex abuse investigation into Manchester Cathedral Dean Robert Waddington expected to overlap with police inquiry at Chetham’s School of Music
PAUL GALLAGHER WEDNESDAY 15 MAY 2013
The Church of England inquiry into alleged child sex abuse by former Dean of Manchester Cathedral Robert Waddington is expected to crossover with the police inquiry into historical sexual abuse at Chetham’s School of Music after it has emerged that Waddington was a governor at the school between 1984 and 1993.
A former choirboy, Eli Ward, last week waved his anonymity to describe how he was groomed by Waddington from the age of 11 over a five year period in the 1980s. Mr Ward, now 40, said the abuse started when Waddington began the grooming process in 1984 – the year he became both a governor at Chetham’s and Dean of Manchester Cathedral – and ended after suspicions were raised in the Manchester diocese in 1989. Waddington was also chairman of the diocesan education committee at the time.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said there had been a complaint about Waddington. He added: “Robert Waddington is deceased so there is nothing further that can be done.”
British pianist Ian Pace, who is leading calls to open an independent inquiry into historical sexual abuse at elite music schools, said “the connections between Manchester Cathedral and Chetham’s music school are strong”.
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