Diocese of Chichester

Gregory, a priest in East Sussex in the early 70s, was sentenced to three years imprisonment in 2014, on two counts of non-recent indecent assault on a girl under 13 years and was further convicted in 2018 of three non-recent indecent assaults against three separate victims, all children and was sentenced to four years four months in prison. He died in jail in 2019.

The review was commissioned by the National Safeguarding Team and carried out by Ray Galloway, who previously led the Jimmy Savile Inquiry at Leeds General Infirmary and was part of the Church of England’s Kendal House review team. The reviewer’s work was informed by the five diocesan reviews in; Chichester, Sodor & Man, Southwark, Southwell & Nottingham and York (to where he retired).

Responding to the review, the lead safeguarding bishop, Jonathan Gibbs said: "This report is a stark and harrowing reminder of how the Church failed victims and survivors over many years and allowed Graham Gregory to continue in ministry. 

"As we heard at the General Synod safeguarding debate last week, the Church must learn from the past as it moves forward to make the Church a safer and welcoming place for all. As the chair of the independent Safeguarding Board said, we are still dealing with over complex structures and a slow institutional response. Lessons Learnt Reviews are just one of the ways that help us improve."

Bishop Jonathan will now take the recommendations for a full discussion and response to the National Safeguarding Steering Group.

You can read the full case review here