(The Roy’s Report) He’s been called the “pope of evangelical conservativism.” And in the U.K., 78-year-old Jonathan Fletcher was arguably the most influential evangelical figure for decades.
Yet Fletcher, the vicar of the prominent Emmanuel Church Wimbledon, has now been revealed as a serial abuser. And he’s at the center of what one victim has called the “mother of all abuse stories.”
According to a report released this week, Fletcher subjected dozens of young men to ice baths, naked beatings, and sex acts over 30 years. And sadly, though Fletcher’s abuse was known for decades, his church did nothing because, as victims put it, Fletcher was “untouchable.”
The report is the result of a 15-month investigation, conducted by the safeguarding charity Thirtyone:eight, and commissioned by Emmanuel Church Wimbledon (ECW). It describes horrific abuse and has sent shock waves through U.K. society and the Church of England.