Makin Report: Smyth victims speak out

Victims of serial abuser John Smyth are speaking out in the wake of the publication of the Makin Report.

Smyth abused dozens of children and young men who he met at summer camps funded by the conservative evangelical Iwerne Trust in Dorset during the 1970s and 1980s. Readers should be aware that some of the details below are deeply distressing.

The BBC reports: 'Eight of the boys received a total of 14,000 lashes, while two more received 8,000 strokes between them over three years. The Iwerne Trust called the practice "horrific" but the claims were not reported to police until 2013 - more than 30 years later.

'Despite his "appalling" actions having been identified in the 1980s, the [Makin] report concluded he was never fully exposed and was therefore able to continue his abuse. He was encouraged to leave the country and moved to Zimbabwe without any referral being made to police,' the BBC adds.

The Makin review says Justin Welby is among those who failed to take appropriate action, and although from 2013 the Church of England knew 'at the highest level' about Smyth's abuse, there was a failure to refer it either to the police or the relevant South African authorities. Smyth died in Cape Town in 2018 at the age of 77.

Interviewed on Channel 4 News last night by Cathy Newman, former church minister Mark Stibbe described what he went through when he was at Winchester College in the 1980s.

'He [John Smyth] had a new shed built, which was soundproofed. I don't remember very much about it, except nappies, adult nappies. I remember it being enclosed, claustrophobic. I remember feeling trapped. But I think the thing that I will never forget is my friend's suicide attempt, and having to explain to his father why his son had tried to take his life. And I was trying to tell him, it's not your fault. It's someone else's fault.'

Newman highlighted the role of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, saying: 'At the heart of the Makin review is a damning indictment of failings at the very top, including the Archbishop of Canterbury himself. From July 2013 the Church of England knew at the highest level about the abuse that took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Archbishop of Canterbury's personal chaplain, a priest and the Bishop of Ely were all made aware of the abuse, and Justin Welby became aware of the abuse alleged against John Smyth in around August 2013. There was a distinct lack of curiosity shown by these senior figures and a tendency towards minimisation of the matter.'

Stibbe said Welby should resign, saying: 'Someone has got to take responsibility. [Welby] knew most of the victims. He is the most senior person in the Anglican Communion, and you cannot have someone in that position failing spectacularly, not being held to account.'

He added: 'I have seen the effect, the catastrophic toxic effect on other people's lives in terms of depression, mental health, suicide attempts, broken marriages, broken lives, broken hearts, and to a certain extent, that's been true of me as well.'

Another victim, Graham, told Channel 4 News: 'I've seen two psychologists and a psychiatrist over the last seven years, and have complex PTSD. I try to remember the pain but I can't actually retrieve that from my memory. I've put the abuse somewhere where I can't remember it.'

As Newman noted, 'not a single bishop' had been formally held to account for failures in handling the Smyth scandal. Graham responded: 'This is not just a matter of a few clergy here and there, but this is people at the very highest level of the Church of England. This church is supposed to be the moral conscience of our nation, in many ways. It's very distressing.'

Makin's report says there are at least 30 victims in the UK alone; some were as young as 13 at the time. Smyth abused his own son between the ages of seven and 11. One victim told the review he was so scared, 'I remember thinking "he’s going to kill me".’ Another victim attempted to take his own life after Smyth advised him to self-harm to fight sexual feelings.

A statement by a group of victims and survivors was issued on the Thinking Anglicans website shortly after the Makin report was published. It notes that Makin's recommendations 'reflect similar recommendations in dozens of previous safeguarding reports over 40-plus years that the C of E has previously chosen to ignore or disregard.'

'Regrettably we have little confidence that the C of E will take any more notice of the recommendations of this Review than it has of all those recommendations of the many previous safeguarding reports,' the statement adds.

Bishop of Guildford Andrew Watson, himself a victim of Smyth, has responded to the report, saying: 'Some of what is in the Review I lived through myself, and these sections ring true to my memory and help to fill in some of the gaps. More I have learnt since the Channel 4 documentaries in 2017 and the subsequent book by Andrew Graystone. Still more was completely new to me, including most of the details of the thirty-five years from the time in early 1982 when I and a fellow victim first reported Smyth’s beatings to Mark Ruston.  

'There is much here that is deeply shocking, especially the abuse of so many victims in Africa, following the disastrous decision of the Iwerne and Winchester establishments to cover things up. As the Report outlines, those attempts were flawed from the start, and any idea that Smyth’s behaviour could be regulated was hopelessly naïve. Smyth’s combination of charm and menace, narcissism and manipulation, hypocrisy and violence, made him a very dangerous man indeed, and entirely uncontrollable by any normal means.'

He notes that some victims 'went through far worse than I did'. 'Others', Watson adds, 'have understandably found it hard to relate to someone who is simultaneously a victim and a senior representative of a church that has so badly let them down. I am aware of those tensions in myself too and have had very much to reflect on since 2017. Those reflections have fed into a determination to adopt a relentlessly victim-centred approach here in Guildford Diocese.

He expresses 'admiration for those have doggedly persevered in having the truth told' and says he hopes it provides 'salutary lessons as we redouble our efforts towards building a safer Church'.

The Makin Report itself states: 'To the victims who suffered at the hands of John Smyth, we hope that this report and its subsequent impact will help you find peace for you and your family; we dedicate this Review to you.

'We feel immensely privileged and honoured to have been able to meet with those personally affected and abused by John Smyth. We are acutely aware of how difficult the decision to engage with us would have been for many victims and their families. For some people, this abuse had been carried silently for over 40 years, and for many the trauma and suffering continue. Those who were able to contribute have openly shared their experiences of the abuse as well as articulating the devastating and lifelong impact that this has had.

'The nature and extent of the abuse we heard about is truly shocking. We extend our thanks to all victims who have bravely participated in the Review, including those who have tirelessly researched, campaigned, and lobbied, often at a personal cost, for a review that places their accounts in the public domain. It is our hope that those involved in responding to the learning and recommendations of this Review will harness the determination and energy of John Smyth’s victims who have been relentless in their search for clarity and answers from the Church of England.

'We hope the Church will digest the shocking details of the abuse and the responses to it, and use the learning identified in this report to influence future safeguarding systems, policy and practice, ultimately to prevent similar tragic cases from occurring.'

Help and support

If you or anyone you know is affected by the Makin Report in any way, help is available via

FearFree Support, which provides specialist support to victims and survivors of abuse, offering trauma informed and victim led bespoke support. Its head of services has identified an experienced independent advocate for victims and survivors to deliver this service. Contact: nicky.gahagan@fearfree.org.uk telephone 07436795205 (TuesThurs)/helpdesk 01793 317482 during working hours.

Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 and safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk; Samaritans helpline-116-123;

The National Association for People Abused in Childhood