Page Description
Explore the shocking truth behind John Smyth’s abusive regime and the church’s role in covering it up, with over 100 victims affected.
In this revealing documentary, the dark reality of John Smyth’s violent abuse comes to light, exposing the extent of his actions and the church’s complicit silence. With 100 victims, Smyth’s reign of terror left deep scars, while the church’s cover-up ensured his actions remained hidden for far too long. This documentary seeks to unearth the truth and bring justice to those affected.
In deze onthullende documentaire komt de duistere werkelijkheid van John Smyths gewelddadige misbruik aan het licht, waarbij de omvang van zijn daden en de medeplichtige stilte van de kerk blootgelegd worden. Met 100 slachtoffers liet Smyths heerschappij van terreur diepe littekens achter, terwijl de doofpot van de kerk ervoor zorgde dat zijn daden veel te lang verborgen bleven. Deze documentaire is bedoeld om de waarheid boven tafel te krijgen en gerechtigheid te brengen voor de getroffen slachtoffers.
Introduction
Church abuse scandal: my dad the abuser
18 nov 2024
The words of John Smyth’s son PJ – one of his earliest victims – in an exclusive interview with this programme.
The Makin review detailed Smyth’s horrific abuse of those he met at public schools and Christian summer camps. What is less well known, is how Smyth senior controlled and abused his own family, who are only now facing up to the devastating toll on their lives.
Warning, this report contains extremely distressing details.
In this Channel 4 News exclusive, PJ Smyth, the son of John Smyth, speaks out about being one of his earliest victims. The documentary delves into the horrors of Smyth’s abuse, as revealed in the Makin review, which documents his systematic mistreatment of young men at public schools and Christian summer camps. However, the documentary also uncovers a lesser-known aspect: how Smyth’s abuse extended to his own family. PJ and other family members are now confronting the profound and lasting impact of Smyth’s violence on their lives. This deeply distressing report sheds light on the abuse within the family and the difficult journey toward facing the truth. Warning: This report contains extremely distressing details.
In deze Channel 4 News-exclusieve spreekt PJ Smyth, de zoon van John Smyth, over hoe hij een van zijn eerste slachtoffers was. De documentaire duikt in de gruwelen van Smyth’s misbruik, zoals onthuld in de Makin-recensie, die zijn systematische mishandeling van jonge mannen op openbare scholen en christelijke zomerkampen documenteert. Wat minder bekend is, is hoe Smyth’s misbruik zich ook uitstrekten tot zijn eigen familie. PJ en andere familieleden confronteren nu de diepgaande en blijvende impact van Smyth’s geweld op hun leven. Dit uiterst verontrustende rapport werpt licht op het misbruik binnen de familie en de moeilijke weg naar het onder ogen zien van de waarheid. Waarschuwing: Dit rapport bevat uiterst verontrustende details.
See No Evil – ‘Bleeding For Jesus: John Smyth and the cult of the Iwerne Camps’ – Andrew Graystone
3 nov 2025
Bleeding for Jesus
by Andrew Graystone
Fully revised and updated
Published 30 November 2025
Darton, Longman and Todd
https://tinyurl.com/Bleeding4Jesus
Images and author interviews:
andrew.graystone1@btinternet.com
I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It’s painful, but really important to read. An incredibly
forensic work where no stone is left unturned.
Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2
Andrew has exposed an abuse scandal of such horrifying scale that it has shaken the Church of England
to its very foundations. His painstaking research and the trust accorded to him by victims and survivors means there is no greater authority on what went wrong at the heart of the Christian establishment, and the reckoning that now needs to follow. A must-read for anyone with a conscience and a desire for justice.
Cathy Newman, Channel 4 News
By day the dashing barrister and moral crusader John Smyth battled for Christian values at the Old
Bailey. In the evenings he retreated to his home in Winchester, where he groomed young men from
the highest echelons of British society, and flogged them for his own sexual pleasure until they bled.
Smyth met many of his victims through the elite Christian cult of Iwerne camps. When his grotesque
practices became known to leaders in the Church, he was spirited out of the UK to Zimbabwe, where
for decades he continued to abuse much younger children. So began a conspiracy of cover up that
lasted for thirty years.
Then in 2017 the revelations about John Smyth and the Iwerne camps network pitched the Church of
England into chaos. The wealthiest and most powerful grouping in the Church of England was at the
heart of its biggest abuse crisis. Eventually, in an unprecedented step, Archbishop Justin Welby, who
had known John Smyth for decades, was forced to resign over the affair.
In this revised and expanded edition of Bleeding for Jesus, Andrew Graystone tells the story of how
he and others brought the story of John Smyth into the light, and the toxic legacy of the Church of
England’s failure to face the truth.
He reveals:
• The wealthy Christians who sustained Smyth’s abuse for decades.
• The powerful men who led the evangelical movement, whilst hiding their own abuse.
• The chaotic Church of England review that was held up for almost five years.
• The police failures that allowed Smyth to go on abusing children until his death.
• The struggle for justice and healing for victims in a Church that didn’t want to know.
• How the scandal led to the unprecedented fall of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Andrew Graystone is a campaigning journalist who broke the story of John Smyth’s abuse and cover
up. He continues to advocate for victims of abuse in the Church of England.
The publication coincides with the broadcast by Channel 4 of a documentary series on the events in
the book by BAFTA-winning director Benedict Sanderson for Passion Pictures.
The documentary delves into the dark history of John Smyth, a man who led the notorious Iwerne Camps, which were intended to nurture Christian faith but instead became a place of horrific abuse. Through interviews and testimonies, the film reveals how Smyth preyed on vulnerable young men, subjecting them to violent, ritualistic beatings under the guise of religious discipline. The video explores the church’s complicity in covering up his actions, with key figures within the organization turning a blind eye, enabling Smyth to continue his reign of terror for years. Andrew Graystone investigates the profound impact on the victims, the church’s failure to take responsibility, and the systemic issues that allowed such abuse to flourish unchecked.
De documentaire duikt in de duistere geschiedenis van John Smyth, de leider van de beruchte Iwerne Camps, die bedoeld waren om het christelijk geloof te versterken, maar in plaats daarvan een plaats van verschrikkelijke mishandeling werden. Via interviews en getuigenissen onthult de film hoe Smyth zich vergreep aan kwetsbare jonge mannen en hen onder het mom van religieuze discipline onderwierp aan gewelddadige, rituele geselen. De video onderzoekt de medeplichtigheid van de kerk in het verbergen van zijn daden, waarbij belangrijke figuren binnen de organisatie blind bleven voor het misbruik en Smyth zijn heerschappij van terreur jarenlang kon voortzetten. Andrew Graystone onderzoekt de diepe impact op de slachtoffers, het falen van de kerk om verantwoordelijkheid te nemen, en de systematische problemen die dit misbruik mogelijk maakten.
New Documentary Lays Bare John Smyth’s Violent Regime and the Church Cover-Up
The documentary exposes the Church of England’s most significant abuse scandal, focusing on John Smyth, a barrister and Christian leader whose violent regime began in his Winchester home and spanned continents for decades. In a new two-part Channel 4 documentary, both the abuse and the Church’s failures are laid bare. For the first time, PJ Smyth, John’s son, speaks in depth about his life inside the Smyth household and explains why he and his family are now breaking their silence. Andy Morse, one of the boys regularly beaten by Smyth in the UK, shares his harrowing experience of manipulation, violence, and the long-running cover-up that followed. The documentary, aired on 10/12/2025, offers a powerful look at how this abuse was allowed to continue for so long under the Church’s watch.
De documentaire onthult het grootste misbruikschandaal van de Church of England, gericht op John Smyth, een advocaat en christelijk leider wiens gewelddadige regime begon in zijn huis in Winchester en zich decennialang over verschillende continenten verspreidde. In een nieuwe tweedelige Channel 4-documentaire worden zowel het misbruik als de falen van de Kerk blootgelegd. Voor het eerst spreekt PJ Smyth, de zoon van John, uitgebreid over zijn leven in het Smyth-huis en legt hij uit waarom hij en zijn familie nu hun stilzwijgen doorbreken. Andy Morse, een van de jongens die regelmatig door Smyth in het VK werd geslagen, deelt zijn aangrijpende ervaring van manipulatie, geweld en de langdurige doofpot die volgde. De documentaire, uitgezonden op 10/12/2025, biedt een krachtig inzicht in hoe dit misbruik zo lang kon voortduren onder het toezicht van de Kerk.
Serial abuser John Smyth’s wife speaks for first time in Channel 4 documentary
In this Channel 4 documentary, John Smyth’s wife speaks out for the first time about the abuse her husband inflicted on young men over decades. Smyth, a barrister and Christian leader, orchestrated a regime of violence that spanned continents, and his wife, who was aware of his actions, now reflects on her role in enabling his abuse. The documentary explores the silence and complicity that surrounded Smyth’s abusive behavior, with testimonies from victims and close family members. This deeply revealing film offers insight into the devastating impact of Smyth’s actions, shedding light on the long-hidden truths about his abusive legacy and the Church’s role in covering it up.
In deze Channel 4-documentaire spreekt de vrouw van John Smyth voor het eerst over het misbruik dat haar man gedurende decennia aan jonge mannen heeft aangedaan. Smyth, een advocaat en christelijk leider, leidde een regime van geweld dat zich over continenten verspreidde. Zijn vrouw, die op de hoogte was van zijn daden, reflecteert nu op haar rol in het mogelijk maken van zijn misbruik. De documentaire onderzoekt de stilte en de medeplichtigheid die rondom Smyth’s gewelddadig gedrag heersten, met getuigenissen van slachtoffers en naaste familieleden. Deze onthullende film biedt inzicht in de verwoestende impact van Smyth’s daden en werpt licht op de lang verborgen waarheden over zijn abusieve erfenis en de rol van de Kerk in het verdoezelen ervan.
Church of England failed to stop most prolific abuser, exclusive report finds
7 nov 2024
The Archbishop of Canterbury has told us in an exclusive interview that he considered resigning as recently as this morning – over a report revealing that senior members of the Church of England ‘covered up’ abuse perpetrated by one its members for more than 40 years.
It was a 2017 Channel 4 News investigation that first exposed the abuse by John Smythe, described today as the Church’s ‘most prolific abuser.’
A warning – you might find some of the details in this report distressing.
An exclusive Channel 4 News report reveals shocking new details about the Church of England’s failure to stop one of its most prolific abusers, John Smyth, whose abuse spanned more than 40 years. In an exclusive interview, the Archbishop of Canterbury admits that he considered resigning over the findings of the report, which shows that senior members of the Church actively covered up Smyth’s crimes. The documentary revisits the 2017 Channel 4 News investigation that first exposed Smyth’s abuse, now recognized as one of the most egregious cases of institutional failure in the Church’s history. Warning: Some of the details in this report may be distressing.
Een exclusief Channel 4 News-rapport onthult schokkende nieuwe details over het falen van de Church of England om een van haar meest productieve misbruikers, John Smyth, te stoppen, wiens misbruik meer dan 40 jaar duurde. In een exclusief interview geeft de aartsbisschop van Canterbury toe dat hij overwoog af te treden vanwege de bevindingen van het rapport, waarin wordt aangetoond dat senior leden van de Kerk actief de misdaden van Smyth hebben doodgezwegen. De documentaire herbeleeft het Channel 4 News-onderzoek uit 2017, dat het misbruik door Smyth voor het eerst onthulde, wat nu wordt erkend als een van de ernstigste gevallen van institutioneel falen in de geschiedenis van de Kerk. Waarschuwing: Sommige details in dit rapport kunnen verontrustend zijn.
Police action against Church of England ‘must be considered’, says review’s author
20 nov 2024
The Archbishop of Canterbury will step aside from his official duties by January 6th – the Day of Epiphany.
He resigned in the wake of a report into serial abuse by Christian summer camp leader John Smyth, who was first unmasked by this programme.
The Makin review was ordered as a result and its author, Keith Makin, went on to conclude that Smyth was the ‘most prolific abuser to be associated with the Church of England’.
We sat down with Keith Makin for his first interview since his report was published. I began by asking him what he thought about the impact of his report.
In this Channel 4 News report, Keith Makin, the author of the Makin review, discusses the profound impact of his findings on the Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned following the publication of Makin’s report, which exposed the widespread abuse by Christian summer camp leader John Smyth, described as the “most prolific abuser to be associated with the Church.” Makin argues that police action against the Church must now be seriously considered in light of the evidence, which shows how senior Church officials allowed Smyth’s abuse to continue unchecked for decades. This is Makin’s first interview since the report was published, offering key insights into the ongoing fallout from this scandal.
.In dit Channel 4 News-rapport bespreekt Keith Makin, de auteur van de Makin-recensie, de diepgaande impact van zijn bevindingen op de Church of England. De aartsbisschop van Canterbury is afgetreden na de publicatie van Makin’s rapport, waarin het wijdverspreide misbruik door de christelijke zomerkampleider John Smyth werd onthuld, die wordt beschreven als de “meest productieve misbruiker die met de Kerk van Engeland wordt geassocieerd.” Makin stelt dat politieactie tegen de Kerk nu serieus in overweging moet worden genomen gezien het bewijs, dat aantoont hoe senior Kerkfunctionarissen het misbruik van Smyth decennialang ongecontroleerd lieten voortduren. Dit is Makin’s eerste interview sinds de publicatie van het rapport, waarin belangrijke inzichten worden gegeven over de voortdurende nasleep van dit schandaal.
Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over church abuse scandal
12 nov 2024
Justin Welby’s resignation as the Archbishop of Canterbury came after days of mounting pressure following a damning report into the cover-up of horrific abuse.
Less than a week ago, an independent review – set up after an investigation by this programme – concluded that John Smyth – the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the church – might have been brought to justice had the Archbishop formally reported him to police in 2013.
Mr Welby had apologised for his failures regarding the John Smyth case – which saw as many as 130 boys and young men abused over sting five decades – but he declined to resign when we spoke to him last week. However, all that changed today.
In this Channel 4 News report, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, announces his resignation in the wake of a damning report about the Church’s cover-up of John Smyth’s horrific abuse. The independent review, which followed an investigation by this programme, concluded that Smyth, described as the Church’s most prolific serial abuser, could have been brought to justice had Welby reported him to the police in 2013. Despite previously apologizing for his failures and the abuse of up to 130 boys and young men over five decades, Welby had resisted calls to resign. However, after days of mounting pressure, he stepped down, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing scandal.
In dit Channel 4 News-rapport kondigt Justin Welby, de aartsbisschop van Canterbury, zijn aftreden aan naar aanleiding van een vernietigend rapport over de doofpotaffaire rond het gruwelijke misbruik door John Smyth. De onafhankelijke beoordeling, die volgde op een onderzoek door dit programma, concludeerde dat Smyth, die wordt beschreven als de meest productieve seriemoordenaar die met de Kerk wordt geassocieerd, mogelijk voor het gerecht had kunnen worden gebracht als Welby hem in 2013 officieel aan de politie had gemeld. Ondanks eerder verontschuldigingen voor zijn falen en het misbruik van tot wel 130 jongens en jonge mannen gedurende vijf decennia, had Welby geweigerd af te treden. Maar na dagen van oplopende druk stapte hij uiteindelijk op, wat een keerpunt markeert in het doorlopende schandaal.
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