Barrister John Smyth, an evangelical leader in ministries to young men in public (private) schools and universities in the UK, was finally exposed as a sadomasochist abuser who beat young men until they bled, after decades of cover-up by evangelical leaders. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, resigned after it was revealed he had failed to act against Smyth.
Now Smyth’s family is speaking up – daughter Fiona Rugg, to the BBC, and widow Anne with Fiona to Channel Four as liked above. “I think the overriding feeling is actually fear, as long as I can remember,” Fiona Rugg told the BBC.
“I felt afraid around dad, who was very volatile.
“He was very angry, and so there was a sense of fragile moods, walking on eggshells, wondering what dad’s mood was like. A feeling of guilt, as a young child, I didn’t like dad, and sometimes I hated him.”
Anne Smyth told the Channel Four documentary that Smyth told her the young men visiting them were “really keen to learn more about the Christian life, but, being young teenagers, a lot of their behaviour is probably not as good as it could be, and I think they would appreciate being dealt with”. She asked what that meant, and Smyth responded, “just having a whack or two”. Anne Smyth told her husband that they were not his children and questioned his treatment of them.
Image: John Smyth. Image Credit: Channel 4 screenshot