The police have dropped an investigation into a former Bishop of Chichester after the Church of England was criticised for “rushing to judgment” in declaring that he was likely to have abused a child. Sussex police said that they had stopped investigating the claim against Bishop George Bell, who died in 1958, which was referred to them in January. A spokesman said that further police investigation was “not possible as Bishop Bell died 60 years ago”. Church officials were first accused of smearing the bishop’s name in 2015 when they publicly identified him in an apology to an elderly woman who said that she had been assaulted as a child. They also paid the woman, known as Carol, £16,800 compensation over the uncorroborated allegation that…

Source: The Times April 22, 2018 23:07 UTC