Church in Wales knew about abuse claims against former priest Anthony Pierce | UK News

Church leaders were made aware of a sexual misconduct allegation against a priest years before his abuse of a child came to light, the Church in Wales has confirmed.

A report made against Anthony Pierce by a university student in the 1980s reached the desk of his bishop, but the Church has found no record of him being disciplined.

Pierce went on to become a bishop himself – but in March admitted five charges of indecent assault against a boy under the age of 16 between 1985 and 1990.

A Church in Wales spokesperson said clergy who informed the bishop acted “in accordance with appropriate practice at the time” but a similar allegation would be handled differently now.

The former university student who reported Pierce’s behaviour in the 1980s, Alisdair Adams, said he was “furious” when he saw Pierce had been sentenced in court because “he could have been stopped but he wasn’t”.

Mr Adams said he was 18 when Pierce invited him over for dinner, but claims the priest gave him “lots of white wine and no food” and touched him inappropriately when the lights went out.

He said: “[The Church] had information and they didn’t investigate it. They just pushed it to one side.

“It still makes me livid that they knew about this 40 years ago.”

Mr Adams, now 59, added: “It’s made me think don’t just dismiss it and say it was 40 years ago and safeguarding is much better today. Of course it is… but why were the students’ claims not investigated?”

Mr Adams was one of two students who told the Pierce had acted inappropriately towards them when he was the local priest to Swansea University, then University College Swansea.

Both said they reported their concerns to the Anglican chaplain and Mr Adams said he remembered a third student being spoken to.

The Church is also looking into claims “senior figures” were aware of a separate allegation of abuse made against Pierce in 1993 which was not passed to police until 2010.

A report on this is due for publication in October. The Church confirmed to the that reference to Mr Adams’ allegation should be made in the final report.

Now, 40 years later, Mr Adams has been told by the Church that the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, Benjamin Vaughan, was made aware of his complaint after the chaplain passed it on.

Mr Vaughan died in 2003 but the understands a clergyman told the Church that the bishop “immediately confronted” Pierce, who is said to have denied the allegation.

But, Mr Adams was told, the Church “have not found any evidence of action taken” by Mr Vaughan after this, such as disciplinary steps or a referral to police.

Pierce continued in his post as Vicar of Llwynderw in Swansea.

Mr Adams said: “[The chaplain] did the right thing… and pushed it up the chain. I thought he would.

I’m so glad… because I got the sense I was being treated very seriously when I spoke to him. But the more experienced clergy up the chain stopped it.”

A Church in Wales spokesperson said safeguarding officers had concluded an “internal investigation” into the allegation that Anthony Pierce assaulted an adult male student at Swansea University in the mid-1980s and that “two clergy” informed Benjamin Vaughan of the matter.

The spokesperson added: “The investigation has concluded that, at the time in question, this was in accordance with appropriate practice – in the 40 years since this case practice and policies have changed, and such an allegation would now be required to be reported to the safeguarding professionals in the Church in Wales team, to consider appropriate further action independently of the Bishop and Diocese.”

They added that the Church safeguarding officers remained in contact with the survivor in this case and encouraged anyone with any safeguarding concerns relating to the Church in Wales to contact them.

For information and support about any issues raised in this story contact the Action Line.