Last week Chanel 4 broadcast a two-part documentary See No Evil about serial abuser John Smyth. It can be viewed online here, and there is this introduction: Serial abuser John Smyth’s wife speaks for first time in Channel 4 documentary. It has attracted much press interest.
Madeleine Davies Church Times ‘I am so ashamed’ says John Smyth’s widow in Channel 4 documentary
Jayne Manfredi Church Times TV review: See No Evil
Tim Wyatt Premier Christianity See No Evil: This Channel 4 documentary paints John Smyth’s family as his first victims
Barbara Ellen The Observer See No Evil – a too painful story of child abuse and the Church
Tola Mbakwe Premier Christian News ‘I never confused my dad with God’: John Smyth’s daughter speaks about faith and survival ahead of new doc
Fiona Lamdin and Bea Swallow BBC News ‘My dad abused 130 boys – learning the truth was horrifying’
The Church of England issued this press release Statement on Smyth documentary.
On a related matter there is this report in the Church Times.
Madeleine Davies Church Times Bishop ‘correct’ not to act against vicar concerning handling of Smyth reports, tribunal rules
It looks like the NST are out of control.
Tim Hastie-Smith received a disclosure of abuse and passed it on to the relevant safeguarding lead. What else was he supposed to have done?
Why did the NST bring a CDM against him? And why, when the complaint was rightly dismissed, did the NST appeal?
I saw both part 1 and 2 of this well presented by Cathy Newman , but it made really shocking Viewing, I hope and pray that at last the Church of England has learnt the lessons from this and will properly implement the recommendations arising from the Makin Review. Jonathan