Victor Whitsey

Hubert Victor Whitsey (21 November 1916 – 25 December 1987) was a Church of England bishop. He was Bishop of Hertford 1971–74[1] and Bishop of Chester 1974–81.[2]

Hubert Victor Whitsey
Bishop of Chester
DioceseDiocese of Chester
In office1974–81
PredecessorGerald Ellison
SuccessorMichael Baughen
Other postsBishop of Hertford 1971–74
Personal details
Born(1916-11-21)21 November 1916
Died25 December 1987(1987-12-25) (aged 71)
NationalityBritish
DenominationChurch of England
OccupationBishop
Alma materSt Edmund Hall, Oxford

Whitsey was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn and St Edmund Hall, Oxford. After a curacy in Chorley he became the Vicar of Farington and the Rural Dean of Bolton[3] before his ordination to the episcopate.[4]

Allegations of sexual abuse

In 2016–17 Cheshire Constabulary conducted a 13-month investigation called Operation Coverage to investigate allegations that Victor Whitsey had sexually abused persons who were under the age of consent. In October 2017 the force announced that five male and eight female witnesses had alleged they were victims, and that were Whitsey still alive he would have been interviewed in connection with 10 of those 13 allegations.[3][5]

Slater and Gordon Lawyers represents four of Whitsey's alleged victims.[5] Through Slater and Gordon, one alleged victim stated:

I longed for [Whitsey]'s blessing to achieve my wish of a future as a vicar, serving God and the community. He told me he agreed I had a calling from God. He also told me he had the power to give me everything I wanted in life and the power to take it all away. He then proceeded to abuse me sexually and psychologically. I was powerless to stop him.[5][6]

The alleged victim, who was a teenage boy at the time, added that as a result he lost his religious faith, started self-harming, and later had a mental breakdown and as a result had attempted suicide.[6]

The current Bishop of Chester, Peter Forster, and the current Archbishop of the Province of York, John Sentamu, have accepted the allegations and issued an apology.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Who was Who" 1897–2007. London: A & C Black. 2007. ISBN 978-0-19-954087-7.
  2. "New Bishop of Chester". The Times (58927). London. 31 October 1973. col E, p. 1.
  3. Holmes, David (17 October 2017). "Child sex attack shame of former Bishop of Chester". Chester Chronicle. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  4. Crockford's Clerical Directory. London: Oxford University Press 1976. 1975. ISBN 0-19-200008-X.
  5. Sherwood, Harriet (17 October 2017). "Former bishop of Chester investigated over abuse allegations". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  6. Holmes, David (17 October 2017). "Sexual abuse victim of former Bishop of Chester speaks out". Chester Chronicle. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
Church of England titles
Preceded by
John Trillo		 Bishop of Hertford
1971–1974		 Succeeded by
Peter Mumford
Preceded by
Gerald Ellison		 Bishop of Chester
1974–1981		 Succeeded by
Michael Baughen


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.