Church of England Under Fire for Decades of Unchecked Child Abuse
The police in Hampshire, England are investigating a British barrister for sadistically beating teenage boys in Christian summer camps that he ran in the past five decades. Suspect John Smythe, 75, has spent that past three decades in South Africa, but is now reportedly in Bristol to face the accusations against him.
Dozens of victims, mostly in their 50s, have come forward to tell their ordeal under Smythe. One of them is Christian author Mark Stibbe, now 56. He recalled the time when he was 17 back in the '70s and he first received a whipping for committing the sin of masturbation.
"I remember being so appalled by how vicious the first lash was that I couldn't scream," he told New York Times. "You're in this tiny shed full of canes with this man. I felt utterly powerless," he added. Stibbe received at least 30 more floggings that left him bleeding and collapsed on the floor.
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Based on accounts, Smythe lured his victims from Winchester College, a top private school in Britain. He invited them to join a summer camp run by Iwerne Trust which he chaired at that time. He would befriend the boys who were yearning for a father figure in boarding school and gain their trust.
News about the abuses already surfaced as early as 1982 when 13 victims came forward and claimed to have received 100 strokes at a time. The investigation took two years, but instead of being charged criminally, Smythe was removed from the trust and sent to Zimbabwe.
More abuses were reported through the years in Zimbabwe and Cape Town, South Africa where Smythe set up similar camps. The Church of England has issued an apology to the victims while Winchester College expressed its regrets to the survivors' ordeal, Mail & Guardian reported.
