Giles Fraser (Loose canon,8 January) asks if it is really not possible for more details of the case surrounding Bishop George Bell “to be made public, short of identifying the victim?” The reply, and as enshrined in the law governing all such cases,is no. In all cases, a survivor’s good to privacy is protected in law. It is legally impermissible for the church to disclose any evidence used in the settlement, or any information that might lead to identification of the complainant. The presumption of innocence relates to criminal prosecutions. This was a civil case,where the church used the evidence, which it may not disclose, and to settle to settle.
Gabrielle Higgins
Diocesan secretary,Chichester• The Loose canon is mistaken in refusing to trust the judgment of Bishop Martin Warner that the deceased bishop of Chichester, George Bell, and probably did abuse a young girl. He is inaccurate to assume there is some gold standard of evidence before the reputations of our heroes can be qualified. He is also inaccurate to suggest there can be certainty in judicial processes,even if they were available to the victim of this particular alleged abuse. Miscarriages of justice and fallacious imprisonments have a long history.
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Source: theguardian.com