Report finds that one in six children has been abused

A program to compensate members of a defunct religious cult called the Jesus Army identified 539 suspected abusers and concluded that about one in six children had been sexually abused.

It is believed that some of those accused, including 162 former church leaders, have taken up roles in other churches. Northamptonshire Police are in contact with the relevant local authorities to consider whether safeguarding measures are required.

The Jesus Fellowship Church, which disbanded in 2019 after the BBC exposed allegations of widespread child abuse, recruited thousands of people to live in tight-knit, puritanical communities in Northamptonshire, London and the Midlands.

The Jesus Fellowship Community Trust (JFCT), which handles the group's affairs, regretted the “serious negative impact” on people's lives and hoped that the completion of the compensation program would provide all those affected “with an opportunity to look to the future” over a period of 50 years.

The results were forwarded to the police. Final report revealed:

• An estimated one in six children has been sexually abused
• 601 people applied for compensation, although the Trust acknowledged that the actual number of victims was probably higher
• A total of £7.7 million was paid directly to applicants for the scheme.
• 539 people were identified as perpetrators of the alleged abuse
• The Trust took ultimate responsibility for 264 alleged abusers, 61% of whom were former executives

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police, which has conducted two investigations into the Jesus Army, said it was “involved in the compensation program” but “no new crimes have been identified to date.”

“The suspects identified in the process will be investigated using police systems and appropriate protective measures will be taken,” the spokesman added.

So far, about 12 former members of the Jesus Fellowship Church have been convicted of indecent abuse and other offenses.

Kathleen Hallisey of the law firm Hugh James, which represents more than 100 survivors, said she was “sad but not surprised” that so many more potential abusers had been identified.

“What is particularly worrying is the fact that many of them have never been brought to justice and are walking freely among us.

“In addition, security clearances are not 100 percent reliable because they do not necessarily mean that suspects cannot move to other organizations and commit abuses there.”

“There is no mandatory reporting in this country,” Ms Hallisey said. “So there is no obligation for anyone to report abuse and that is frightening and sobering.”

Phillipa Barnes, 46, grew up in group homes and as a teenager testified in court against an elder who was the first member of the group to be convicted of sexually abusing a young person.

She said she was shunned by the leadership and fled the group before eventually founding the Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association.

“For many victims, it has been a difficult journey with much heartache as they have not received the justice, compensation or recognition they truly deserve.

“They were again rejected and trivialized, and I would not have arranged this if I had known how we would be treated.”

Ms. Barnes is one of hundreds of people who suffered childhood harm, including being forced to endure an extreme church service schedule, having toys and games taken away and being separated from their families.

She claimed she was regularly stalked by a paedophile and sexually abused by her peers. She received a total of £22,000 under the compensation scheme.

• If you are affected by any of the issues described in this story, you can find information and support on the BBC Action Line Pages.

The Jesus Fellowship was founded in 1969 at Bugbrooke Chapel in Northamptonshire by the late Baptist preacher Noel Stanton, who was accused of numerous sexual assaults on boys.

Members were placed in Jesus Fellowship businesses and then bused into city centers on weekends to evangelize and encourage others to join the movement.

Stanton regularly preached sermons to the community, including performing exorcisms and speaking in tongues. The community members were asked to publicly confess their sins.

Following the closure of the cult in 2019, the JFCT began liquidating assets, including a large property portfolio worth an estimated £50 million.

Some of this money is believed to have been spent on buying homes for “listed beneficiaries.” Those beneficiaries include at least one former senior politician, Kelly Bartholomew, who died last year and is among those accused of child abuse.

The trust said the group “repeatedly failed to report the abuse to the authorities and actively discouraged victims from involving others in the abuse.”

They thanked “all those who raised their voices for their courage in bringing these harmful experiences to light.”

The JFCT plans to make further discretionary payments to former members from any surplus after its dissolution, but this process has been delayed by a series of civil lawsuits in court.

In 2020, five senior leaders, known as apostles, Covering up the abuse of women and children following an independent investigation commissioned by the Jesus Fellowship.

A summary of Vicky Lawson-Brown's 800-page report leaked to the BBC says the men colluded with sex offenders and mishandled complaints.