THE Jesus Army’s remaining £25-million assets can be divided among the many 172 members who remained loyal to the organisation until its demise, the BBC has reported. Survivors have denounced the plan.
Founded in 1969 by Noel Stanton, a Baptist lay pastor, the Jesus Fellowship/Army was disbanded in 2020 after stories of abuse led to a police investigation, which resulted within the convictions of 5 members, two of whom went to prison.
At a gathering with the Fellowship’s leadership, the police got a file containing 133 responses from former members, which included allegations of serial sexual abuse. It is estimated that one in six children who lived in the neighborhood had been sexually abused. A complete of 539 alleged perpetrators of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse were identified, including Stanton himself — an alleged child abuser.
In 2018, the Fellowship was estimated to be price £58 million, including 55 large houses throughout England, which have since been sold. In 2022, the trustees of the Jesus Fellowship Community Trust (JFCT) — established to dissolve the organisation and its assets — announced a compensation scheme for survivors of abuse (News, 30 September 2022). The scheme closed on 31 December 2023.
Of the 601 applicants, 96 per cent received an award of monetary or non-financial redress. More than £7 million was paid out in compensation (News, 20 September 2024), a few of which was covered by insurers.
Last week, the BBC reported that it had seen legal submissions revealing that the organisation had £25 million remaining, “which can be divided amongst loyal members”. A spokesperson for the JFCT said that the trustees had acted “in accordance with the trust deed”.
One claimant, Graham Lewis, who left in 1996 because gay relationships were forbidden, and who was a victim of emotional and sexual abuse himself, was paid £25,000 under the redress scheme.
“It doesn’t compensate for the harm I suffered, and it also doesn’t cover the financial losses I incurred; the 15 years I couldn’t pay right into a pension for instance,” he told the BBC. He expressed concern that individuals accused of kid abuse or covering-up offences could possibly be among the many beneficiaries.
In response to the BBC report, Malcolm Johnson, head of abuse claims at Lime Solicitors, which represented 150 of the successful claimants, said: “During our investigations, our clients named a minimum of 50 individuals who perpetrated abuse against them, a few of whom were long-standing members of the Church. We’re not aware that the Church ever took any sort of motion against them, and so the news today that they may collect their share of the £25 million, ending up with more remuneration than their victims and sail off scot-free, is appalling.
“It speaks to not only a scarcity of accountability but a scarcity of acknowledgement for the victims who suffered for many years and can undoubtedly be emotionally and mentally impacted by this news.”
A spokesperson for the JFCT told the BBC: “The Trustees have been acutely conscious of the traumatic, abusive, and opposed experiences suffered within the church and community. They have also recognised the importance of engaging with not only the listed beneficiaries, but with others who’ve an interest within the winding up.
“They have sought to accomplish that sensitively, meaningfully, and with a real willingness to listen and a desire to work collaboratively with interested parties.”
