BBC Investigation Raises Concerns

An expert in child abuse and neglect cases has welcomed the Church of England’s decision to investigate allegations that two priests were allowed to continue working despite being accused of offences.

Tracey Storey of Irwin Mitchell’s London office commented after it was confirmed that the cases of Collin Pritchard and Roy Cotton, who both worked in East Sussex, are set to be the subject of an inquiry.

According to a BBC South East investigation, Pritchard worked in Bexhill-on-Sea until 2007 despite being reported to police a decade before. He was jailed in 2008 after pleading guilty to abusing two boys.

In addition, it is thought Cotton was allowed to work even though he was convicted of a child sex offence in 1954.

Discussing the investigation, lawyer Tracey Storey said: “I welcome the announcement that the Church of England is taking a serious look at the cases of these two men and why they were able to continue to work.

“Many of the cases I deal with demonstrate the terrible, traumatic impact that child abuse has on victims and how this often impacts on them for the rest of their life.

“It is vital that this investigation both leads to a greater understanding of how this was allowed to happen and that lessons are learned to safeguard children in the future.”

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