Channel 4 is broadcasting a two-part documentary on the lifetime of John Smyth, the serial abuser whose crimes brought an end to Justin Welby’s tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Smyth ran various Christian camps in each Britain and Africa and is believed to have physically and mentally abused a whole lot of boys from the Nineteen Seventies onwards. He died in 2018 without ever being dropped at justice.
Last yr the independent Makin Review into the Church of England’s handling of the abuse allegations found that Welby had didn’t inform police. Welby insisted it was his understanding that the abuse had already been reported to police, but apologised for his failure nonetheless and subsequently resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury.
The latest documentary, called “See No Evil”, features testimony from Smyth’s victims and relations.
Speaking to The Times, Smyth’s daughter, Fiona Rugg, recalled asking her father why that they had moved to Africa. While he told his family that they had come for mission work, the truth is, he had left England after the Church upheld abuse complaints against him while teaching at Winchester College
Rugg recalled, “I said to him, very gently really, ‘I just need to discuss why you left England and what happened.’ And there was an explosion. He flew off the armchair in such a rage. It was the entire spiel about wicked, disloyal daughter. It was all slander and ‘I can’t imagine you’ll ever ask me’.”
One of Smyth’s victims at Winchester College was writer Dr Mark Stibbe. Writing on Medium, Dr Stibbe spoke of how Smyth placed on an outward façade of charm and authority that allowed him to grow to be a father figure to those that felt lost and abandoned.
Dr Stibbe, who also appears within the documentary, wrote, “Smyth had a nose for boys like me — ones with orphaned hearts. He could sense those affected by the fear of abandonment and the eager for a father’s love. When he found good-looking boys who fitted that profile, he would conduct a charm offensive. Before long, we could be trying to him because the older male role model we would have liked. We felt accepted and affirmed.”
Smyth’s son, PJ Smyth also commented ahead of the documentary’s broadcast, saying on Instagram, “We [the family] selected to participate to step out of our shame and hopefully help other families caught within the crossfire of trauma also.”
The documentary airs on Channel 4 on 10 and 11 December at 9pm. It is executive produced by Channel 4 News journalist, Cathy Newman, investigated Smyth for years.
