Report to Greater Manchester Police - suspected misconduct in public office by Right Revd. Nigel McCulloch, former Bishop of Manchester

A few weeks ago I wrote to North Yorkshire Police regarding my suspicions that David Hope, the former Archbishop of York had committed the common law offence of misconduct in public office with respect to concealment of alleged child abuse by Robert Waddington.

See
Report to North Yorkshire Police regarding David Michael Hope, former Archbishop of York

Today I wrote to Sir Peter Fahy of Greater Manchester Police regarding my suspicion that Nigel McCulloch, former Bishop of Manchester may also have committed the offence of misconduct in public office.

My letter to Greater Manchester Police is below:

30^th November 2014

Sir Peter Fahy, Greater Manchester Police

Dear Chief Constable,

Possible misconduct in public office: Right Revd Nigel McCulloch

I write to report to you as a constable my suspicion that the Right Revd Nigel McCulloch may have comitted the common law offence of Misconduct in Public Office.

My concerns relate to the actions and/or failures to act of Mr. McCulloch while he was Bishop of Manchester in relation to alleged child abuse by Robert Waddington.

I have given such consideration as I presently can to whether Mr. McCulloch’s actions and/or failures to act correspond to the Crown Prosecution Service guidance with respect to Misconduct in Public Office.

With respect to the elements of the offence listed by the Crown Prosecution Service my assessment is as follows:

• Was Mr McCulloch in a public office? Yes, Bishop of Manchester
• Were the suspected failings by Mr. McCulloch failures in his office? Yes, I understand that as Bishop of Manchester he failed to report to the Police suspected child abuse by Robert Waddington
• Were the suspected failings wilful? They appear to have been so, reportedly in deference to comparable (or more serious) failings by the then Archbishop of York, David Hope
• Was there reasonable excuse for the suspected failings by Mr. McCulloch? That is a matter which it is difficult for me to comment on directly save to say that deference to a senior clergyman seems to me to be a wholly inadequate basis on which to, in effect, conceal suspected child abuse.

It therefore seems to me that there is a prima facie case that Mr. McCulloch may have committed the common law offence of Misconduct in Public Office.

I ask that you record this report of suspected crime in accordance with the applicable National Guidance and that you allocate a Crime Reference Number to this report.

You may wish to be aware that I have separately reported suspected Misconduct in Public Office by the then Archbishop of York, David Hope.

For refererence my letter of 26^th October 2014 to North Yorkshire Police is online here:

http://ukchildabuseinquiry.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/report-to-north-yorkshire-police.html

I have received a response from Detective Superintendent Nigel Costello of North Yorkshire Police indicating that he has instituted relevant inquiries.

Distribution

This letter is a public document.

I will place a copy of it on my UK Child Abuse Inquiry blog:

http://ukchildabuseinquiry.blogspot.co.uk/

Actions requested of you

I ask that you record this report of suspected crime and issue a Crime Reference Number.

I also ask that you promptly acknowledge receipt of this letter and inform me of the allocated Crime Reference Number.

In due course I would be grateful if you would inform me of what action you have taken in response to this letter.

Thank you

Yours sincerely

(Dr) Andrew Watt