An investigation into an alleged incident of inappropriate behavior by a senior leader at Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in Belfast found a culture of indifference towards safeguarding. The probe was prompted by an alleged incident of inappropriate behavior by a senior leader at the Men's Fellowship in June 2023, reported in May 2024, and concluded that an incident of inappropriate behavior occurred against a young man. Ambrose Doone resigned as a designated safeguarding officer at the church in 2024. The PSNI is investigating a number of non-recent sexual assault allegations connected to the church, which has capacity for 2,500 people in north Belfast. According to BBC News - UK, Ambrose Doone and Stephen Spiers described feeling let down by the church leadership's attitude to safeguarding, while Stephen Spiers separately described resigning as safeguarding officer due to the leadership's failure to adequately address concerns.
Church leadership's response to safeguarding concerns included controversial biblical references, with minutes of a church board meeting recording that Satan may have used some of those raising safeguarding concerns. A church trustee is recorded as saying a letter of concern about safeguarding could be seen as an act of rebellion, quoting 1 Samuel 15:23.
In response to the findings, church trustees stated they take safeguarding very seriously and have implemented improvements from the investigation.
The Belfast case unfolds against a backdrop of high-profile police sexual abuse cases in England, including that of former police inspector Gerard Hutchings, who was found guilty of a series of sexual offences against young men in custody. Hutchings subjected eight complainants to sexual assaults during unnecessary strip searches at police stations across Hampshire over eight years, and was convicted on 11 charges including indecent assault, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and misconduct in public office. The charges related to 18 victims who were alone with Hutchings in his private office at the police station, with complainants arrested for minor offences such as shoplifting and possessing cannabis. Hutchings had previously been jailed in 2008 for similar offending and was sacked by Hampshire Police in 2007, and a new investigation started in 2020 after a report from a man subject to a similar strip search in 2005.
We feel let down by the church leadership's attitude to safeguarding.
In Northern Ireland, authorities have identified multiple potential victims of a former police officer accused of rape and other sexual offences. The police ombudsman arrested the former officer in December 2025 on suspicion of committing more than 10 offences, including rape, while serving between 2000 and 2009. There are multiple potential victims in the investigation.
The scope and evidence in the ombudsman investigation are substantial, with the ombudsman seizing a large volume of material, including digital evidence, during a search operation. The Police Ombudsman's investigation has identified a substantial number of witnesses, though the identity of the former police officer arrested remains unknown.
Resource implications of the ombudsman investigation are significant, with the investigation's scope meaning other cases could be affected due to resource allocation. The ombudsman is allocating all available resources to the investigation, which may impact the timeliness of other casework.
In a separate case, former police officer Simon Knott, charged with indecently assaulting a child, has been found dead. Knott faced four charges relating to girls aged under 14 and over 16 between 1990 and 2013, and was due to appear in court on March 19, but the hearing was removed and he was found deceased on March 17. The case against Knott was withdrawn after his death, which is not being treated as suspicious, and he served as a Devon & Cornwall Police officer from 1989 to 2018, with the charges related to off-duty incidents and not believed linked to his policing role.
I resigned as safeguarding officer due to the leadership's failure to adequately address concerns.
PSNI leadership has emphasized the investigation's importance, with a full investigation of multiple sex crime allegations against a former police officer in Northern Ireland described as 'essential' for public confidence in policing. The Police Service of Northern Ireland welcomes and will fully cooperate with the investigation.
Historical context from the PSNI indicates the former officer left policing about 15 years ago. The PSNI has undertaken significant work since 2011 to strengthen professional standards, vetting, and misconduct reporting processes.
An internal PSNI review revealed gaps in investigations and safeguarding response, with the PSNI carrying out a review of investigations related to the conduct of 134 officers over a 10-year period after the Sarah Everard and David Carrick cases. The review identified gaps in individual investigations and the PSNI's safeguarding response between 2012 and 2022.
Key unknowns persist, including the identity of the former police officer arrested by the Police Ombudsman in December 2025 and the extent to which the PSNI was aware of the suspect's behavior at the time of the alleged offending between 2000 and 2009. The outcome of the PSNI investigation into non-recent sexual assault allegations connected to Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle is also pending, along with the full scope and findings of the internal investigation at Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle regarding safeguarding failures.