00:00After decades of controversies and dozens of survivors speaking out, the Church of England
00:05still faces fierce criticism for the way it responds when members of the clergy are accused
00:09of abuse. A BBC investigation into how it dealt with allegations about Blackburn priest Andrew
00:16Hindley exposed deep and continuing failings in the church's child protection system.
00:21After the news about Canon Hindley broke earlier this week, the current dean of Blackburn,
00:26the very revved Peter Howell-Jones, acknowledged there had been
00:30a meteoric failure of structure and systems which should have been addressed years before.
00:35Asked if, given the details we now know, he trusts the church to which he belongs,
00:40the dean said, I categorically do not. Canon Hindley was offered a secret six-figure payoff
00:47after being assessed as a potential risk to children and young people. The priest,
00:52who denies any criminal activity or wrongdoing, was subject to five police investigations,
00:57including into allegations of sexual assault, but has never been charged with any crime.
01:03Unable to rely on criminal prosecutions, the church commissioned risk assessments by child
01:08protection experts. Several concluded Canon Hindley posed a potential risk to children
01:14and young people. But he remained in post.
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