UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph
By Nicola Harley 07 Oct 2015
A disgraced bishop avoided prosecution for sexual abuse in 1993 after the intervention of the royal family, a Lord Chief Justice and MPs, a court has heard.
Peter Ball, 83, is being sentenced at the Old Bailey after using religion as a “cloak” to groom aspiring young priests for sex during the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
But he almost escaped justice when his first victim reported allegations and was given a police caution after interventions from establishment figures, the Old Bailey was told on Wednesday.
Prosecutor Bobbie Cheema said the prosecution has investigated the way in which the police and prosecutors dealt with the claims in 1993. He was not prosecuted for two of the three offences he has now admitted at the of the initial investigation.
The police report stated that they had received phone calls supportive of Ball “from many dozens of people – including MPs, former public school headmasters, JPs and even a Lord Chief Justice (Lloyd)”.
“In addition it was reported that the defence claimed to have more than 2,000 letters of support… including letters from Cabinet ministers and the Royal family,” said the prosecutor.
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