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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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Former bishop 'sorry' as he faces sex crimes sentence

A former bishop said he was "very, very sorry" as he walked into the Old Bailey to be sentenced for historic sex offences against young men.

Peter Ball, 83, is to be sentenced after admitting a string of offences against young men between the 1970s and the 1990s.

When asked about the victims outside court, he replied that he was "very, very sorry".

The Church of England has announced it will investigate claims that senior clerics helped cover-up the sex crimes after victims claimed that it prevented him from facing justice for decades.

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