Bishop of Warrington comes forward as Bishop of Liverpool John Perumbalath accuser

The Bishop of Warrington has identified herself as one of the women who had accused the Bishop of Liverpool of sexual misconduct.

The Right Reverend Bev Mason released an open letter accusing the Church of England of “not properly and satisfactorily” addressing concerns about the Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath.

Bishop Perumbalath announced he was stepping down earlier following allegations outlined in a Channel 4 News programme.

He said he “consistently denied” any wrongdoing but was resigning to avoid becoming a “distraction”.

One woman had accused the bishop of kissing her without consent and groping her in Chelmsford in Essex, where the clergyman was Bishop of Bradwell. Another woman told Channel 4 News she was sexually harassed by him.

Bishop Mason confirmed she was the second complainant but said she had chosen to “distance herself” from the “media activity” since the allegations were publicised.

The Cheshire bishop said in her letter to the diocese: “My prayer is that now things have been brought into the light, there will be no more defensiveness but an honest scrutiny of what we are doing, how we are doing it, where the gaps sit and how we address them.”

Bishop Mason was formerly the acting Bishop of Liverpool before Bishop Perumbalath was enthroned in 2023.

She said in March 2023 she was made aware of a complaint against Bishop Perumbalath which involved an investigation by the church’s National Safeguarding Team.

She said she then raised “what I believed to be significant concerns” including her own allegations.

Since that time, she said she had “remained consistent” in her pursuit of “proper ecclesiastical judicial process”.

“The focus of my concerns centred around due process,” she wrote.

“A bishop cannot be above the law.”

Addressing the Diocese of Liverpool, she said: “I am only too mindful of the turmoil, shock and bruising that you will be reeling from as a result of these past days as you have tried to make sense of this and my long and terrible absence.

“For my part, I am deeply sorry for my absence and silence. It has been excruciating.”

Police in Essex had concluded no further action was needed over one allegation in the Channel 4 investigation, while the Church of England said its investigation had also found no case to answer.

However, church leaders called for Bishop Perumbalath to step aside, saying his position was “untenable”.

Julie Conalty, the Bishop of Birkenhead and deputy lead bishop for safeguarding, agreed that Bishop Perumbalath “needed to step back” but said he had not had “the chance to defend himself”.

The bishop told BBC Radio 4: “It feels to me that it may have been unfair to all parties.

“It strikes me that the bishop has not had a chance to defend himself in tribunal and nor have the complainants been able to go to tribunal with the complaint.”

She said there were questions over whether church processes served both victims and those who had been accused.

“Our complaint processes are not trauma-informed, they don’t serve victims and survivors well,” she added.

She added that the church needed to have a “more open conversation” about misogyny faced by female clergy.

The Church of England has been contacted for comment.