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Ministers and royal family member 'supported sex abuse bishop'

A high-profile former bishop has been jailed for 32 months for a string of sexual offences against young men.

Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes, said he was "very, very sorry" as he walked into the Old Bailey to be sentenced for the offences between 1977 and 1992.

It emerged in court that cabinet ministers and a member of the royal family sent letters of support for Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes, after he received a caution for indecent assault in 1993.

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Ministers and royal 'supported sex abuse bishop'

Police had calls of support for Peter Ball from MPs and a Lord Chief Justice when he was accused of sex offences in 1993. Credit: PA

Prosecutors told the Old Bailey that Peter Ball was allowed to continue officiating as a priest after a caution for indecent assault in 1993.

Police received calls of support for the former Bishop of Lewes from "MPs, former public school headmasters and even a Lord Chief Justice", the court heard.

Peter Ball's defence claimed to have 2,000 letters of support for the cleric including those from cabinet ministers and a member of the royal family.

In 1993, the Crown Prosecution Service said there was "sufficient admissible, substantial and reliable evidence" of indecent assault and gross indecency.

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Ministers and royal family member 'supported sex abuse bishop'

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