Hexham and Newcastle diocese must admit abuse failings - whistleblower

A diocese that ignored grooming concerns must acknowledge its mistakes, a whistleblower has said.

A review found Bishop Robert Byrne put people at risk in the Hexham and Newcastle diocese to promote Canon McCoy despite serious concerns.

Angie Richardson, who said she quit as a safeguarding coordinator over the bishop's behaviour noted in the review, said nobody had been held to account.

The diocese said good progress had been made since the review.

The damning report by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) published in June 2023 found Bishop Robert Byrne put vulnerable people at risk by ignoring professional advice.

It found that he promoted a priest he knew was suspected of grooming schoolboys and had an inappropriate close friendship with a convicted paedophile, Father Timothy Gardner, who was on the sex offenders register.

The CSSA said Canon McCoy, who killed himself in 2021 after an investigation into historical allegations was launched, displayed a "clear pattern of grooming behaviour over the years" and there was an "abundance of warning signals" with the diocese missing opportunities to "prevent or ameliorate harm".

Bishop Byrne stepped down last year and his successor Stephen Wright said he was working hard to address the concerns.

However Ms Richardson said there were people in senior positions at the dioceses "who did not act and allowed Bishop Robert Byrne to stay in role with no restrictions on his ministry".

"The overall feeling for me is anger," she explained.

"I feel they've failed to acknowledge that they got things wrong."

She said: "They're hiding behind the CSSA report and not acknowledging that they failed. Nobody has been held to account."

Ms Richardson said people at the diocese "failed to challenge" the-then bishop.

She believes the diocese "is in safe hands" with Bishop Stephen Wright but added she felt "incredibly disappointed" after meeting him to outline her concerns.

"He heard what I had to say but nobody has investigated the concerns that I raised. They just continue to ignore them," Ms Richardson said.

The diocese denied that it refused to acknowledge past failings and said it had repeatedly apologised for them and "does so again".

"Since his installation in July, Bishop Stephen Wright, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, has met victims/survivors and will continue to do so," it continued.

It pointed out the review did not find fault with the conduct of present senior officers and says the conduct of Robert Byrne was challenged by diocesan personnel on numerous occasions.

It said: "It is not true that individuals in senior positions 'did not act' in respect of Robert Byrne, the previous bishop."

"Unless the bishop decided to relinquish his office of his own volition, he could be removed only by the Pope," the diocese explained.

It adds that it would implement all of the recommendations of the CSSA and was "consistently open to hearing about any safeguarding concerns".

Ms Richardson said it had been "the worst two-and-a-half years of my life" since she reported her concerns.

"I've been ignored by the Diocese. They threaten you with legal action and isolate you professionally and personally," she said.

"I have lost everything in my personal life to do the right thing but I would do it again because my professional integrity is everything to me.

"You must put the rights of victims first."

She described being treated "incredibly poorly, almost as the enemy, but most importantly there is a victim and his family involved in all of this and they've been treated poorly".

Steve Ashley, the CEO at the CSSA, told the BBC it was "satisfied that the diocese now has a comprehensive plan of action in place, and it is the implementation of this plan that we will continue to measure".

"Their work to turn around their plan demonstrates the safeguarding team's commitment to keeping people safe, but they must continue to evidence that this work is not just sustained, but continuously improved on," he explained.

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