Bishop of Liverpool retires after sex assault allegations
John Perumbalath had been facing accusations of sexual assault and harassment
Last updated 30th Jan 2025
The Bishop of Liverpool has announced his decision to retire from active ministry in the wake of allegations of sexual assault and harassment, which he denies.
In a statement, Dr Perumbalath said: "Having sought the permission of His Majesty the King, I have today taken the decision to retire from active ministry in the Church of England.
"Earlier this week I was approached by Channel 4 News who informed me they would be broadcasting a story containing allegations of inappropriate behaviour by me against two different women.
"Since those allegations were made I have consistently maintained that I have not done anything wrong and continue to do so. Since the claims were made in 2023 they have been investigated and considered by experts from the National Safeguarding Team and had found them unsubstantiated.
"The first allegation was also investigated by the police resulting in no further action. Despite this, media reports have treated me as guilty on all charges and treated these allegations as fact.
"Further it has been erroneously reported that prior to my appointment as Bishop of Liverpool I had failed the safeguarding assessment process. This is categorically not true.
"As the Church of England have made clear in their written statements over the past 48 hours responding to these false claims, the National Safeguarding Team found no concerns about my operational safeguarding experience and recommended some development work for me as I took on additional strategic safeguarding responsibilities - which is commonly the case for new diocesan bishops.
"This rush to judgment and my trial by media (be that social or broadcast) has made my position untenable due to the impact it will have on the Diocese of Liverpool and the wider church whilst we await further reviews and next steps."