Report hears of ‘30-plus years’ of abuse at church

Nicola Laver  |  UK & Ireland
Date posted:  20 Aug 2026
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Report hears of ‘30-plus years’ of abuse at church

St Andrew’s Chorleywood. Photo: A Church Near You (achurchnearyou.com)

Warning: the following content relates to issues of abuse and could be both upsetting and triggering.

A significant number of children, understood to be mostly boys, allegedly suffered sexual abuse, grooming and exorcisms at St Andrew’s, Chorleywood over 30-plus years, a “listening exercise” group has heard. However, St Albans Diocese says there are no plans to commission an independent safeguarding review.

A safeguarding report said the information received from 27 individuals “raises significant concerns about aspects of culture and practice” in the context of the church’s youth ministry during that period. The Diocese declined to say what proportion of the individuals were male or female.

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