UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News
Sussex Police is to “apologise” for distress caused to the niece of Bishop George Bell by a media release about alleged abuse by the cleric.
It follows a complaint by journalist Peter Hitchens about the revelations.
The force said it was apologising to Barbara Whitley because police did not contact any living relatives of the bishop to let them know an inquiry was to be made public by the Church.
It said it was not apologising for the investigation or the statement itself.
In a letter to Mr Hitchens, Det Supt Jeremy Graves, head of the force’s professional standards department, said the force would apologise to Ms Whitley.
“The distress caused to Barbara Whitley is of course regrettable and I know that Katie Perkin [head of corporate communications] plans to personally write a letter of apology to her,” he wrote.
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