Church of England paid-off priest assessed as a risk to children

Canon Andrew Hindley worked in Blackburn diocese from 1991 to 2021 .

He was subject to five police investigations into allegations of sexual assault.

Canon Hindley has never been charged with any criminal offences and says he has never presented any safeguarding risk to anyone.

But allegations against him didn’t stick, leading to him remaining in post until after he was offered a substantial pay-off.

A senior member of staff at Blackburn Cathedral resigned over the settlement and says concerns about the priest were “an open secret” among senior clergy.

Lancashire Police investigated allegations of sexual assaults at a party in the cathedral garden.

Church leaders commissioned several expert risk assessments into whether Canon Hindley posed a safeguarding risk.

The Church has allowed its safeguarding procedures to be “hijacked, weaponised and misused” The Church of England has a duty of care to churchgoers and staff.

But it has repeatedly failed to definitively act on the findings of these risk assessments.

Canon Hindley was an openly gay priest in a cathedral which some people describe as 'conservative' He claims the “endlessly recycled false allegations” were all part of a homophobic campaign against him.