by Peter Murphy
‘No, ma’am,’ Ruthie confirmed. ‘In my experience, that would be a very bad thing for Mr Terrence to be involved with.’
‘I told you,’ Terrence protested weakly. ‘Nothing like that has happened.’
‘Good,’ Steffie replied. ‘If I were you, I would do my very best to ensure that it stays that way.’
38
Wednesday 22 May 1974
The two men in the interview room stood as they entered.
‘DI Phillips, DI Walsh, good morning. May I introduce the man you’ve been calling the Right Reverend EF? You know his real name, of course, but if you don’t mind, shall we just call him “Bishop” for the purposes of today’s proceedings?’
‘Fine with me, Mr Singer,’ Ted Phillips replied. He nodded politely. ‘Bishop.’
He and Steffie Walsh shook hands with both men, and Ted invited them to resume their seats. Steffie was immediately struck by the bishop’s bright blue eyes, which in contrast to Father Gerrard’s, engaged her fully without any attempt to avoid her scrutiny. He was a tall man, with distinguished-looking silver hair, a short and neatly trimmed moustache and pointed beard, wearing a light grey suit and a blue tie; and he gave the impression of being at peace with himself. ‘I bet he would make quite an impression on a jury,’ she found herself thinking.
‘I will be conducting the interview this morning,’ Ted continued. ‘Today is the twenty-second of May 1974, and it’s now ten o’clock in the morning. We are in an interview room at Parkside Police station in Cambridge. Present are: myself, DI Phillips of the Cambridge police; DI Walsh of the London Metropolitan police, who is making a note of the interview; Bishop EF; and Mr John Singer, the solicitor for Lancelot Andrewes School. First of all, Bishop, thank you for coming. Can you confirm for me, please, that you have attended voluntarily this morning for interview?’
‘That’s correct.’
‘Do you understand that you are not under arrest, and you are free to leave at any time?’
‘I understand.’
‘Because of the nature of our inquiries, I must caution you that you are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so, but what you say may be put into writing and given in evidence. Do you understand the caution?’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘Before we start the interview proper, Mr Singer, will you please confirm for the record that you are acting as the Bishop’s solicitor for the purposes of the interview today?’
‘I can confirm that.’
‘In that case, as we did on the occasion of Father Gerrard’s interview, I’m going to note once again my view, and that of DI Walsh, that there is a possible conflict of interest, given that you are also the solicitor for the school.’
‘You raised that question last time,’ Singer replied, ‘and I thought I’d explained quite clearly that I was representing Father Gerrard only for the purposes of the interview. I said I would hand the case over to a solicitor with more criminal experience when it came to the trial, and that’s exactly what I did.’
‘You did, Mr Singer,’ Ted replied. ‘But by that time, Father Gerrard had opted not to answer our questions about the alleged offences, presumably on your advice.’
‘That’s none of your business,’ Singer replied, ‘as I believe I made abundantly clear at the time. Besides, it doesn’t appear to have harmed his interests, does it, having regard to the result of the trial?’
‘The first trial,’ Ted pointed out. ‘And this may be a good moment for me to point out for the record that the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided to retry the case against Father Gerrard –’
‘I’m fully aware of that, Inspector –’
‘And to apply to a High Court judge for a voluntary bill of indictment, to add the Bishop’s name to the present indictment, together with the names of Lord AB and Sir CD.’
‘The Bishop and I are quite aware of all that, Inspector. We wouldn’t be here otherwise, would we?’
‘I’m going to repeat what we said to Father Gerrard,’ Ted continued, ‘because I believe it to be important for the Bishop to hear this also. We understand from our counsel that the school may be legally liable to victims of the assaults and their parents. So, in the highly likely event of their taking legal action against Father Gerrard, the school, the Bishop, and the other men involved, the Bishop’s interests and those of the school would not be the same. Counsel suggested that the Bishop might prefer to have independent advice.’
‘Oh, not again: this is outrageous –’ Singer began, but Bishop EF placed a hand on his arm.
‘I understand what you’re saying, Inspector. I have discussed the situation with Mr Singer, and I have agreed that he should represent me today.’
‘And you’re aware that there may be a conflict of interest?’
‘The Church doesn’t see it that way,’ Bishop EF replied, ‘so neither do I. Now, Inspector, your time is valuable, as is mine, so if you have questions to ask me, may I suggest that you get on with it?’
Ted exchanged glances with Steffie.
‘Very well, sir. Do you know Father Desmond Gerrard?’
‘Yes, of course. I’ve known Desmond for years.’
‘How did you first meet?’
‘We were ordained at about the same time, and we were both assigned to the diocese of Ely; so we saw each other at retreats, conferences, gatherings of various kinds, and we came to know each other quite well. Later, when Desmond joined the teaching staff at Lancelot Andrewes, and subsequently became headmaster, I saw him in connection with the school. I had become a trustee of the school by then. I’ve also had an interest in education during my career, although I didn’t take the teaching route as he did.’
‘What route did you take?’
‘I started out in parochial work, then became an archdeacon and adviser to my bishop – about education, as well as many other matters – and in due course I became a bishop myself. I’m now at Oxford, as Master of my college, as you know.’
‘Do I take it from what you’ve said that you’ve visited Lancelot Andrewes School fairly frequently?’
‘Of course. I’ve been there many times.’
‘When was the first time?’
‘I don’t remember the exact date. It’s too long ago. But it was before the war, not long before Desmond became headmaster, if my memory serves.’
‘What was the purpose of that visit?’
‘I’m sure it was connected to my work there in some way. I can’t remember precisely after so long. I became a trustee when Desmond took over as headmaster, and I would have visited any number of times over the years.’
‘Bishop, I would like to ask you about the war years, specifically about the years 1940 to 1945.’
‘Very well.’
‘Did you visit Lancelot Andrewes School during those years?’
‘Yes, of course. The war caused us all sorts of problems – the safety of the children; making arrangements for shelter in the event of an air raid; what we would do when a child lost a relative as a result of enemy action, and so on. As a matter of fact, I was involved in advising Desmond about the decision to accept a limited number of boys and girls who were being evacuated from London; and I was involved in the decision to tell Mrs Marshall and her sister that they were welcome to stay at the school and complete their education after their parents were killed.’
‘Bishop, were you ever there in the evenings, let’s say between eight and eleven?’
Bishop EF sat back in his chair and exchanged looks with John Singer.
‘I was, on occasion, but that raises some issues.’
‘Issues?’ Ted asked, with a glance towards Steffie. ‘What do you mean by that?’
‘What I mean, Inspector,’ Bishop EF replied, ‘is that I will answer your questions as far as I can, but I’m afraid there will be some I’m not al
lowed to answer.’
‘You’re going to have to explain that to me, sir, if you don’t mind,’ Ted said. ‘You do understand that we are inquiring into certain very serious offences?’
‘I understand that, Inspector. But there are some things that must take precedence, I’m afraid.’
39
‘I’m having some difficulty in understanding what would take precedence over an investigation into sexual offences against children at a boarding school,’ Ted said.
‘Inspector, you asked me whether I had visited the school in the evening in the period between 1940 and 1945. During the period you’re referring to, I went to Lancelot Andrewes a number of times in the evenings. I went there on behalf of the government. It was wartime, and there were certain things I was asked to do.’
‘Asked by whom, sir, specifically?’
He paused. ‘The security services.’
‘Which service would that be?’
‘I’m not at liberty to say.’
Ted nodded. ‘All right. I think I understand what you’re saying, but for the record –’
‘What the Bishop means,’ Singer intervened, ‘is that much of the information he might otherwise give you is covered by the Official Secrets Act.’
‘That’s correct, Inspector,’ EF agreed. ‘They made me sign a form when my work was finished. I can’t talk about it, even now.’
‘I suggest you take it one question at a time, Inspector,’ Singer said. ‘He will do his best to assist you.’
‘All right,’ Ted said. ‘In general terms, what was the purpose of the evening visits you made to the school?’
‘I was asked to accompany a man in whom the security services had an interest.’
‘Who was this man?’
‘I’m not at liberty to say.’
‘What was the purpose of this man’s visiting Lancelot Andrewes School?’
‘As it turned out,’ EF replied, ‘he was there to molest little girls, pupils at the school.’
Ted sat back in his chair and stared at the man. No one spoke for some time. Eventually, Steffie touched his hand with hers and raised her eyebrows questioningly. Ted nodded.
‘Bishop,’ Steffie said, ‘in view of your last answer, I must remind you of the caution. You are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so, but what you say may be put in writing and given in evidence. Do you understand the caution?’
‘Yes, as I said before, I understand the caution.’
Steffie turned to Ted, asking with her eyes whether she should continue. Ted nodded, and took his pen from his jacket pocket to continue the note of the interview.
‘How do you know that this man – shall we call him X…?’
‘Yes, all right.’
‘How do you know that X was going to Lancelot Andrewes to molest girls there?’
‘Because I was present and saw it for myself.’
Steffie suddenly felt her heart beating faster.
‘’Bishop,’ she asked, speaking slowly and deliberately measuring her words, ‘are you saying that you personally witnessed children being abused at the school?’
‘I witnessed it on a number of occasions.’
‘“A number” meaning…?’
‘Over the period we are discussing, at least once a month.’
‘Where were you based at that time?’ Ted intervened.
‘In London.’
‘So, did you travel to the Ely area with X, or did you meet him there?’
Bishop EF thought for some time. ‘I’m not at liberty to say.’
‘Did the abuse occur in one particular place in the school, or more than one?’ Steffie resumed.
‘It always occurred in the room next to Desmond’s study – he called it his private library. It was where he kept his theological and philosophical books.’
‘Had you been to this room before?’
‘Yes. Desmond often held meetings there. I’d been there many times.’
‘Let me take you back to the first occasion when you witnessed abuse in that room,’ Steffie said. ‘Can you describe what happened?’
EF sat up in his chair. ‘I’d been asked to accompany X during his visit to the school. This would have been early in 1941. I don’t know the date, obviously, but I remember being glad to get out of London: the Blitz was in full cry, and it was a terrible time. Anyway, there I was, at the school. Desmond asked us to wait in the library. He didn’t say why, but when we went into the library, there were drinks waiting – water and a decanter of whisky. One of Desmond’s indulgences,’ he added with a smile.
‘What were you expecting to happen?’
The Bishop shrugged, but made no reply.
‘Well, you said you were “waiting” in the library. What were you waiting for?’
‘For whatever was going to happen.’
‘Bishop, your contact at the security service must have told you why you and X were going to Lancelot Andrewes?’
‘I’m not at liberty to say.’
‘They wouldn’t have asked you to look after X without telling you what he was getting up to at the school, would they? With all due respect, Bishop, that doesn’t make sense.’
‘I’m not at liberty to say.’
‘All right. Staying with that first time: apart from X and yourself, was anyone else present while you were waiting in the library?’
‘Yes. There were two other men.’
‘Can you describe those men?’
‘I can do better than that, Inspector. I can tell you who they were. They were the men who are now Lord AB and Sir CD. This was much earlier in their careers, obviously.’
Steffie stared at him. ‘Are you absolutely sure? Is there any doubt at all in your mind?’
‘None whatsoever.’
Both DIs stared at Bishop EF for some time, speechless. Ted recovered first.
‘So, you’d come from London all the way to Ely, and there you were in Father Gerrard’s library waiting for something to happen; but you weren’t sure what, and you were waiting and having a drink of whisky. What did in fact happen?’
‘I didn’t drink any whisky myself. But I did smoke a cigar. That’s my indulgence.’
‘What happened, sir?’
‘After about ten minutes, Desmond came in with a young girl, about seven or eight years of age, I would say.’
‘How was this girl dressed?’
‘She was wearing a nightdress of some kind. I can’t remember the detail.’
‘What happened after Father Gerrard and the girl entered?’
The Bishop sighed deeply and closed his eyes for some seconds.
‘Terrible things; unspeakable things.’
Ted shook his head. Steffie took over.
‘Bishop, I know this isn’t easy for you, but this isn’t the time for platitudes. We need to hear exactly what happened.’
‘They touched her,’ he replied quietly, after a pause.
‘In what way?’
Another pause. ‘They put their hands under her nightdress and touched her private parts.’
‘And you saw this clearly?’
‘I did.’
‘Who touched her, Bishop?’
‘X touched her first, followed by Lord AB and Sir CD – I think in that order, I’m not entirely sure, but I do remember that X was first.’
‘Where was Father Gerrard while this was going on?’
‘He was standing in the corner, as far as I remember, not playing any part in it, and looking uncomfortable.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Steffie said, ‘but did you say uncomfortable?’
‘Yes.’
‘These men were sexually assaulting his pupil, and he looked uncomfortable?’
‘That was my impression. He brought the girl
into the library, and he did nothing to stop it; so I assumed that he had known what was going to happen, and had brought the girl to the library for that purpose.’
Steffie shook her head. ‘You say that you witnessed such a scene on other occasions, approximately once a month?’
‘Yes.’
‘With the same, or a different girl?’
‘There were several different girls, three or four, I think, so we did see the same girls more than once.’
‘Did Father Gerrard bring the girl to the library on each occasion?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did the same things happen on each occasion?’
‘Yes. The men were different sometimes. Lord AB and Sir CD were there on most of the occasions, but not always. Sometimes there were other men.’
‘How many other men, in total?’
‘Five or six.’
‘Do you know who any of those other men were?’
‘I’m not at liberty to say.’
‘Bishop EF, we have two witnesses, Audrey Marshall and a woman we are calling Woman B, who have given evidence that they were molested in Father Gerrard’s library during this general period of time on a number of occasions. Both of them say that they were molested by Lord AB and Sir CD, and Woman B speaks of a German man molesting her. Could this man have been X?’
‘I’m not at liberty to say.’
‘Bishop, I’m going to show you a photograph: if you would look at it, please.’
‘Yes.’
‘This is the Lancelot Andrewes Girls’ School annual photograph for the school year 1942 to 1943. Do you recognise any of these girls as one of those who were molested in the library during the period we’re discussing?’
He looked at the photograph vacantly for some time.
‘It’s difficult to say, you know,’ he replied eventually. ‘There are so many, and in the picture they’re dressed in full school uniform... I can’t say.’
‘In that case, I direct your attention to two girls: front row, third from left; and the row immediately behind the front row, sixth from right. Look at them carefully, please, Bishop.’
