Archbishop 'regrets' handling of sex abuse complaint against paedophile vicar

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said he would have handled a sexual abuse case “differently” had he known the full extent of it. Justin Welby allowed convicted paedophile John Roberts, formerly of Cherry Vale, Woolton, to carry on working at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral despite claims he was aware of the 89-year-old’s sick past.

Canon Roberts “used God to hide the monster he is” as he misused the power and authority of his position to carry out acts of sexual abuse while serving at St Peter’s Church in Woolton during the 1970s. He was fined £500 for indecently assaulting a boy in 1989, a conviction which it has since emerged the Diocese of Liverpool knew about.

Instead of being defrocked for the 1989 matter, Roberts, a married dad of three, was allowed to return to work and was eventually promoted to Canon. You can read the full extent of Roberts’ crimes here.

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The vicar was later jailed in December 2020 for sex crimes against three other people, one of who had reportedly told Mr Welby about what was happening in the 2010s, and was further convicted of sexual offences against another child in 2024, bringing his jail sentence to a total of nine years. The later conviction relates to sexual abuse of a boy aged between 10 and 13 during the 1970s.

Mr Welby, then Dean of Liverpool, rejected the claims of one of Roberts' victims in 2011 because he believed it was 'one person's word against another's' and reportedly banned him from the city’s cathedral for being “abusive and threatening” to a member of staff.

Instead of informing the police, Mr Welby urged Roberts to “avoid meeting people in homes alone” and said he needed to be “especially careful because of his history”.

Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, told the ECHO: “The assaults carried out by John Roberts were an appalling breach of trust and have damaged the lives of his victims and the survivors. The Church must always be accountable and learn lessons from its handling of these cases.

“The Archbishop has publicly apologised to survivors of abuse at the Church’s IICSA hearing – and he repeated this apology at the trial of John Roberts. While he followed the cathedral process that was in place at the time, he regrets handling the specific complaint while he was Dean of Liverpool.

“As he explained at the IICSA hearing, the complainant was threatening towards several members of cathedral staff, which affected his judgement and handling. He has apologised for his response, and has said publicly that had he known the full details of John Roberts’ 1989 conviction, he would have handled it differently. At no stage did he conceal information.

“Following the conviction of John Roberts in December 2020, the National Safeguarding Team, according to House of Bishops guidance, looked into the actions of Justin Welby relating to this case, when he was Dean of Liverpool.

"After considering all relevant information it was concluded that the matter investigated, including the actions of Justin Welby, was referred on to the relevant authorities and therefore no further action was considered necessary.

"Justin Welby fully cooperated with the National Safeguarding Team during this process, as well as the police investigation. The Diocese of Liverpool also carried out a lessons learned review into the John Roberts case.“

During Roberts’ trial, Mr Welby claimed he had reported the initial allegation to a safeguarding adviser. However, he said he had not recommended disciplinary action and believed it was “one person’s word against another.”

The Diocese of Liverpool also confirmed to the ECHO that the matter occurred before many of the current personnel were posted in the cathedral and, therefore, could not comment directly. However, a spokesperson added: “We have worked hard, and continue to work hard, to improve safeguarding across Liverpool Cathedral and churches within the Diocese. If anyone is affected, we urge them to report any concerns, which will be thoroughly investigated.”

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The Roberts’ incident has come back to public attention in recent weeks after Mr Welby announced he would be stepping down from his role after a review found the 68-year-old “could and should” have reported another prolific child abuser, John Smyth.

The independent Makin Review concluded that barrister John Smyth might have been brought to justice had the Archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013. It said Mr Welby did not follow up rigorously enough on reports of Smyth’s “abhorrent” abuse of more than 100 boys and young men.

Despite the review being published on Thursday, November 7, the Archbishop was still allowed to preach at Liverpool Cathedral several days later for a Remembrance Sunday service.