Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Thought For The Day's Dom Antony quits his parish after sex allegation

A prominent Roman Catholic monk widely known for his religious broadcasts on the BBC flagship Today programme is being investigated by police after an allegation of a sexual offence.

Dom Antony Sutch has resigned as a contributor to Radio 4’s Thought For The Day and withdrawn from his parish after a complaint about his conduct while he was the headmaster of a top Catholic independent school.

The Benedictine monk, who was a spiritual mentor to the late Princess Diana and who preached at the marriage of the daughter of the Duchess of Cornwall, is now said to have returned to his community next to Downside School in Somerset.

According to Avon and Somerset police sources, an investigation was launched over allegations that he had indecently touched a young person aged over 16. 

The incident is said to have happened 14 years ago when he was head of the school, which charges boarders more than £25,000 a year.

One source said it was ‘highly unlikely’ that the monk would be arrested or charged over the alleged incident because the victim did not want to make a formal complaint. 

It is understood the original allegation came from a third party.

The alleged incident took place before the introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2000, which made it illegal for a person to have sexual relations with anyone under 18 while in a position of trust over them.

But the source said police were still looking into Dom Antony’s background to see if there was any other cause for concern.

The investigation is said to be standard procedure under so-called ‘safeguarding rules’ aimed at ensuring the safety of young people who might come into contact with an individual.

Dom Antony voluntarily stepped down from his parish of St Benet’s in Beccles, Suffolk, on November 25 at about the same time he told the BBC he would not be making any further contributions to Thought For The Day. 

His last broadcast, one of six last year, took place in October when he spoke movingly about the inquiry into the 7/7 terrorist attacks on London’s Underground.
Dom Antony, 60, who is now living in Downside Abbey at Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Somerset, was once regarded as Princess Diana’s favourite Roman Catholic priest and reportedly had a series of meetings with her, provoking speculation about her fascination with Catholicism. 

He was also a long-time friend of the Duchess of Cornwall’s Catholic former husband Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles.

Dom Antony preached to guests including Prince Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry at the wedding of the Duchess of Cornwall’s daughter Laura Parker Bowles when she married Harry Lopes in May 2006 in Lacock, Wiltshire. 

He told the couple to concentrate on tolerance and patience to make their marriage work.

The monk, who enjoys cricket and horseracing, provoked controversy when he stepped down after eight years as headmaster of Downside by criticising the Labour Government’s box-ticking culture in schools.

Dom Aidan Bellenger, the Abbot of Downside, and the Rt Rev Michael Evans, the Catholic Bishop of East Anglia, said in a statement: ‘Dom Antony Sutch, a monk of Downside Abbey, has voluntarily withdrawn from all active ministry after a historical safeguarding allegation.’
The statement did not elaborate on the nature of the allegation, but added: ‘This is a neutral act that makes no judgment of guilt or innocence.’

Fr Mark Hackeson, Bishop Evan’s private secretary, said under Church safeguarding procedures, ‘the withdrawal from ministry often takes place before the police have decided whether or not there is a case to be pursued’. 

An Avon and Somerset police spokesman said they were aware of the claim and the matter was ‘subject to an investigation’.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘Dom Antony Sutch resigned from Thought For The Day two months ago.

‘He said he wouldn’t be making further contributions to the slot with immediate effect.’

SIC: DM/UK