The Makin report into the abuse carried out by John Smyth QC (pictured) against young men in the conservative evangelical Iwerne camps in the UK, and in Zimbabwe and South Africa reveals a decades-long cover-up carried out by evangelicals.
Here is a guide to some major “names” in the report.
Vaughan Roberts, rector of St Ebbes: From a statement on the church website “Vaughan Roberts is mentioned once in the Review. He met and was fully transparent with Mr Makin, as he has been with us, about what he knew and when, in relation to Smyth’s abuse. In the light of this, Mr Makin made no criticism of him (as he has also made clear in communication with Vaughan), and he was not included in the process which gave those criticised in the Review an opportunity to see what was said about them in advance of its publication. Vaughan was a 16 year old pupil at Winchester College when the abuse was first exposed in 1982. He never met Smyth and knew nothing about the abuse until a brief conversation in 1989 with a friend, who referred very vaguely to a scandal which had occurred. A few weeks later Vaughan read his headmaster’s autobiography, which contained an account, which greatly understated the reality of what happened and implied the facts were already widely known by those in authority. Very occasionally in the intervening years reference to these events was made in a conversation in very vague terms, but none changed the impression he had been given by the book. It was only after the Channel 4 report in 2017 that he had any awareness of the extent and brutality of what happened, let alone the fact that under 18s were involved. He, along with the rest of us, was horrified and deeply shocked by this.”
From the Makin report giving an example of what the Makin team had heard “One such entry concerns Reverend Vaughan Roberts, the Vicar at St Ebbe’s Church in Oxford. It concerns an allegation made that Vaughan Roberts, whilst at a dinner at a conference in South Africa in 2017, made comments which were minimising of the abuses carried out by John Smyth. The assertion is that Vaughan Roberts knew of the abuse and characterised it as being understandable in the context of the time. Vaughan Roberts has made a statement to this Review, in which he says that his comments at the dinner have been misinterpreted and that he considers the abuses to be criminal and serious. He says that he did not know of the seriousness of the abuse until the airing of the Channel 4 programmes in early 2017. He does say that he had known “something” had happened regarding John Smyth, but that the severity was never shared with him. Another person present at this dinner has written to Reviewers corroborating Vaughan Roberts’ version of events. We do not make any judgement either way about this matter and simply want to ensure that a fair account of the allegation and the response to it is conveyed.”
Rev Mark Ruston former Rector of the round church Cambridge: From the Makin Report “the first [1982]‘investigative report’ of John Smyth’s abuse prepared by the Reverend Mark Ruston (the Ruston Report), detailed later in the Review, states, and our Review explores later, children from the age of 17 and younger were known to have been seriously physically, psychologically, and sexually abused by John Smyth. This was known in 1982 and beyond, at least by those that were in receipt of the Ruston Report.”
The Makin report quotes Ruston Report “”The scale and severity of the practice was horrific. Five of the 13 I have seen were in it only for a short time. Between them they had 12 beatings and about 650 strokes. The other 8 received about 14,000 strokes: 2 of them having some 8,000 strokes over the three years. The others were involved for one year of 18 months. 8 spoke of bleeding on most occasions (“I could feel the blood splattering on my legs” – “I was bleeding for 31⁄2 weeks” “I fainted sometime after a severe beating”). I have seen bruised and scored buttocks, some two-and-a-half months after the beating. Beatings of 100 strokes for masturbation, 400 for pride, and one of 800 strokes for some undisclosed “fall” are recorded.”
The full Ruston report is reproduced in the Makin report.
“The decision was made that the authorities will not be informed (most importantly the police) and that the matter will be “held secret” by this small group. The Ruston report was shown to a small number of Iwerne people. No report was made to the police.”
Rev David Fletcher, a key evangelical leader oversaw the Iwerne camps, received the Ruston Report: Fletcher was mentioned in the report. “This sentence, contained within the Ruston Report, suggests that some research, and knowledge or even consultation with a legal or criminal law expert had taken place in terms of the abuse. There are excerpts contained in this report, taken from notes written at the time, that suggest legal advice of some description was sought, for example, see point 5 of the document below19. This suggests that Mark Ruston was discussing ‘who could D (DCMF/ the Reverend David Fletcher) ask about legality of beatings‘. The name Ross Cornes appears, likely to be Graham Ross-Cornes, a lawyer associated with a case that John Smyth also worked on, next to this point indicating he may have been consulted.”
In February 1982 “David Fletcher telephones Mark Ruston and describes John Smyth’s abuse as ‘passive masochistic homosexual activity'”. Fletcher is a original recipient of th Ruston Report.
“In summary, Scripture Union employed at least two of the key Iwerne individuals, Reverend David Fletcher and the Reverend Tim Sterry, also Church officers – who then organised and operated the Iwerne Camps. Funding for these roles was provided by the Iwerne Trust.”
“In an interview with us, [The Makin review team] David Fletcher said: “I thought it would do the work of God immense damage if this were public.”
Justin Welby: “Sometime during 1978, Justin Welby was overheard by a contributor to this Review, having a “grave” conversation with Mark Ruston, about John Smyth, whilst lodging with him. Justin Welby has advised reviewers that he does not recall this conversation and explains he was not aware of the actions of John Smyth at this time which later came to light. He advises that he shared accommodation with Mark Ruston at this time and would have had many conversations particularly as this was in the period following his father’s death.”
“We have explored with Justin Welby his relationship at that time [1988] with John Smyth. He knew John Smyth from the Iwerne camps and was in John Smyth’s dormitory for two camps. He has described being “impressed” by John Smyth and reacting to his apparent power of intellect and charismatic (in the lay sense) personality. He says that they were never close, however. He remembers a time when he delivered boat keys to John Smyth’s family home, but says that this was “incidental” and that he was “just doing a favour” and that this is not indicative of any deeper friendship or relationship.’
“Justin Welby says he recalls “making donations” to John Smyth to help with his Ministry in Zimbabwe, but cannot remember the details of this, timing or amounts. Again, he says that this was within a “typical and usual pattern” for the time, with gifting to prominent people heading Ministries and the like being common and unremarkable.”
“Justin Welby became aware of the abuse alleged against John Smyth in around August 2013 in his capacity as Archbishop of Canterbury. It is most likely that other staff members there will have been informed at the same time in August 2013.
(e) The conclusion that must be reached is that John Smyth could and should have been reported to the police in 2013.
(d) There was a distinct lack of curiosity shown by these senior figures and a tendency towards minimisation of the matter, demonstrated by the absence of any further questioning and follow-up, particularly regarding the Church reassuring itself that a known abuser was not still actively abusing (albeit in a different country, but this does not diminish the moral responsibility on people).”
“The Archbishop of Canterbury was ill-advised about the actions taken in the Ely diocese. He was told that a referral had been made to the police. This was not correct.”
“A notable email from Justin Welby to others reveals a concern about what the Church did not do between the abuses being reported in 2013 and the Channel 4 programmes in 2017. Justin Welby wrote: “The tricky question would be about the 2013-17 gap, any ideas for an answer welcome.” This demonstrates that Justin Welby was reflecting on whether actions were taken between him being made aware of the abuses in 2013 and this public exposé in 2017. “
Welby’s resignation statement: Archbishop of Canterbury resigns it incldes this “It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.”
Hugh Palmer Retired Rector at All Soul’s Church, Langham Place in London. The Makin report describes a significant number of Church of England clergy knowing of Smyth’s abuse between 1982 and 1984. “An example relates to Hugh Palmer, who states that he was fully aware of the purpose of his visit to a victim who made a serious and almost successful attempt on his own life, at a time when details of the abuse were emerging and being notified to several individuals. He says that he did not realise that this was connected with abuse. Hugh Palmer maintains that he cannot recall who asked him to go to the hospital and has speculated that it could have been one of several people, including David Fletcher or Mark Ruston.”
2017 “Hugh Palmer was contacted, separately, by two victims at this point. He says that he did not know of the abuse until then.”
George Carey “The Right Reverend George Carey (now the Right Honourable Lord Carey), as Principal of Trinity Theological College, Bristol, was informed of the abuse and sent a copy of an outline of the Ruston Report [in the period 1982-84]but he denies seeing it.”
In 1983 Smyth attended a course at Trinity College Bristol where Carey id Principal “George Carey says that he did not know of John Smyth’s attendance at the College. On the balance of probabilities this seems highly unlikely. George Carey told us that he personally interviewed people applying for courses, John Smyth was a very well-known and prominent QC as well as Evangelical leader, very well known in Evangelical circles. He was also very much in the public domain at the time, having been prominent in the Gay News trials of 1977, representing Mary Whitehouse.”
John Eddison (1916-2011) Bishop of Thetford. John Eddison writes to David Fletcher and suggests “if he (John Smyth) had no family commitments it would be advisable for him to leave the country for a few years or go to a completely different part of the UK.” Eddison was an original recipient of the Ruston Report.
Peter Wells, a minister at the Iwerne Camps. in 1982 “Peter Wells meets a victim and tells the victim that ‘it’s no good taking it to the Church now, because they’re not going to do anything about it, but rest assured that when Iwerne people are in senior positions in the Church – which was always their aim – John Smyth will be brought to account for what he has done‘” Weels is an original recipient of the Ruston Report.
Alan Martin General Director of Scripture Union between 1978-1986: “writes memo [in 1982] – indicates he was “at a disadvantage, although I know John Smyth. I do not know the others involved, and therefore lack the background knowledge which obviously affected decisions which have been made.“
Richard Bewes (1934-2019) former rector of All Souls, Langham Place: 1982 “John Smyth goes on a Mission to Malawi with African Enterprise. A victim raises concerns about this with Richard Bewes of All Souls, Langham Place.”
David Jackman former president of The Proclamation Trust and founder of the Cornhill Training Course: 1n 1983 he was warned about Smyth “David Jackman was contacted by Mark Ashton, with a follow-up by David Fletcher warning that John Smyth should not be given any sort of leadership role or public ministry, and that he had been removed from Iwerne leadership as a result of his unacceptable behaviour towards young men. David MacInnes later sent David Jackman an outline of the Ruston Report.” Jackman pastored a FIEC church. Mark Ashton was Vicar of St Andrew the Great (StAG) in Cambridge.
Michael Cassidy of African Enterprise In 1984 “Michael Cassidy writes to friends of Africa Enterprise sharing ‘his vision for John and his family’ and explaining the setting up of a UK trust and requesting funding to support John Smyth’s stay in Zimbabwe. ” Those in the know react, suggesting that Cassidy be sent the Ruston report. “Michael Cassidy’s response to these warnings is
to say that the move “is too far advanced to be reversed”, but he would like “more details of the JJS situation”. He says that John Smyth will be “on probation”. John Smyth is in South Africa at the time of these exchanges. Michael Cassidy declined to be interviewed for this Review.”
1987 “Letter sent from Michael Cassidy (Africa Enterprise) to Jonathan Fletcher in response to letter from him. Michael Cassidy explains his motivation for allowing John Smyth a fresh start with his organisation (African Enterprise), describes how later John Smyth’s “control syndrome” manifested itself and led to the team leader stepping down and John Smyth taking control.”
Makin report notes that “The bulk of financial support for the [Smyth’s Zambesi} Trust came from African Enterprise funders.
“David Fletcher responds to Michael Cassidy to suggest he should write to Trustees of Zambesi Trust via Jonathan Brooks and suggest that they can then contact Mark Ashton for full details. David Fletcher suggests something should be done and he could write himself if Michael Cassidy is reluctant.”
Cassidy and Smyth later fall out.
Roger Combes Archdeacon of Horsham: “Roger Combes claims that he was handed the report at the end of a meeting that Mark Ruston attended. Roger Combes suggests that his memory is that he held this unopened on his knee, realised the seriousness and the nature of the report and chose not to read it, handing it back to Mark Ruston, unread.”
Andrew Cornes. Former director of training at All Souls, London. “In the Autumn of 1982, a victim, who had been interviewed by Mark Ruston, discussed the abuse with The Reverend Canon, Andrew Cornes, who he knew and had offered him support in the past, to tell him about the abuse. He was the first person that this victim spoke to about the abuse. Andrew Cornes told the victim he was unsurprised that John Smyth had homosexual tendencies when he was told of the abuse by the victim. This is not to suggest that he had those thoughts when at Iwerne with Smyth. There is no evidence to suggest that Andrew Cornes took action to respond to this, he suggests that he thought the matter was being dealt with.”
Michael Green (1930 – 2019) theologian and prolific author: In 1982 “John Eddison also states that Michael Green from St Aldates (Oxford) was told of the abuse “some time ago” by a curate who taught at Winchester College and “sworn to secrecy”.
Paul Perkin: 1994 “A couple who were members of the congregation at St Mark’s Church, Battersea Rise, London, aware of John Smyth’s abuse, informally met with Reverend Paul Perkin and Jamie Colman to object to the Church’s funding of Zambesi Ministries.
Jamie Colman heir to the Colman Mustard business. “Jamie Colman, a trustee of Zambesi Ministries, was very closely associated with John Smyth at this time and had strong connections to a Church of England Church called St Marks, Battersea Rise. Jamie Colman’s personal support for John Smyth and his family was very important in enabling John Smyth to develop his Mission in Zimbabwe.”
2017: “On 10th February the Telegraph ran an article about Jamie Colman funding John Smyth via the Zambesi Trust, despite knowing of the UK abuses.”
Revd Sue Colman, chaplain at St Mellitus College and Jamie Colman’s wife has stepped down following being named in the report. She was a Zambesi Trust trustee.
Robin Weekes ,minister of Emmanuel Church Wimbledon, London. 1999 “Robin Weekes informed by Reverend Iain Broomfield while speaking either at a Christian Forum meeting or Iwerne Camp that there was a “previous issue” regarding John Smyth and that “something bad” had happened at Winchester College.
Rico Tice, evangelist. “Reverend Rico Tice (prior to his ordination) was told of the abuse by Peter Krakenberger in 1987, when he came to see him at his flat, with four to five flatmates present. Peter Krakenberger said that he wanted the abuse “out” and known and he went into some detail about the scale and the nature of the abuse. Rico Tice says that he was also asked by Reverend Martin Seeley (who went on to be Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, now a member of the Lords Spiritual), in an interview for the discernment process for ministry, about John Smyth.”
Jonathan Fletcher, Vicar at Emanuel Church Wimbledon “According to the Reverend Christopher Davis a victim approached Reverend Richard Coombs in March 1989. He was told about the abuse by this victim in Cambridge. Christopher Davis went to see Jonathan Fletcher about this, and he says that Jonathan Fletcher was “regretful” that Christopher Davis knew, making it clear that people were to know of the abuse only on a “need to know” basis and he didn’t consider this to be the case in this instance. Jonathan Fletcher told Christopher Davis that the victims did not want any action taken, the Winchester College Headmaster and parents knew and, equally, did not want any action taken.
“In his contribution to this Review Jonathan Fletcher advises “although I knew John Smyth, were not friends. On a couple of occasions he was very critical of me publicly”, and “I attended Iwerne Minster for 60 consecutive years and although I was not as [ ] as John Smyth when he joined, yet nonetheless I attended every “camp” when he was an “officer“. Jonathan is said to have also collaborated over who should offer continuing pastoral care to a victim (of John Smyth) and to have been part of the key discussions regarding John Smyth in Zimbabwe.
In 2024 Jonathan Fletcher was charged with indecent assault and grievous bodily harm towards young men for incidents that occurred 25 to 50 years ago, during his decades of leadership in the Church of England. He is the subject of a report by safeguarding consultants thirty-one: eight.
Makin notes “Jonathan Fletcher has been a highly influential person in the Conservative Evangelical world. He was Curate at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge (more commonly known as the Round Church) before becoming the vicar of the Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon, in 1982.” He is David Fletcher’s younger brother.
Andrew Graystone: 2014 “On 14th October, Andrew Graystone (a journalist and activist) was engaged by the Titus Trust {a successor body to an Iwerne Trust] to advise on risk management for the Trust on this and relevant matters. He was engaged in his capacity as an advisor on publicity and communications.”
2015 “Andrew Graystone presented his report to the Titus Trust Board on 26th January 2015, containing options for their publicity response. The Trust did not agree with his recommendations and parted company with him.”
“Andrew Graystone, after hearing of the abuses via his consultancy work with the Titus Trust, decided to pursue the story as a journalist and invested a great deal of time in this. He travelled to Zimbabwe and South Africa to carry out his research and spoke with a small number of the UK victims, as well as parents and victims in Zimbabwe. He contacted Channel 4 (Cathy Newman and Tom Stone principally) and worked with them on the investigation. This is documented in Andrew Graystone’s 2021 book Bleeding For Jesus (Darton, Longman and Todd). He explains in his book that he made a judgement that this was a better course of action than simply handing over what information he had, by then, gathered, to the Police. He reasoned that he would find out very considerably more about John Smyth and his abuses in both the UK and Africa.”