A parishioner who falsely claimed that a married vicar made her pregnant has received more than £40,000 ‘compensation’ from the Church of England.
The woman faked a terminal illness to inveigle herself into the Reverend William Bulloch’s life and later invented a story that they had an affair behind his wife’s back.
Amazingly, in spite of a tribunal ruling by the Church last year that she had been dishonest and manipulative, her funds were awarded to victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergymen, bishops, and lay workers.
According to documents seen by The Mail on Sunday, the woman – known as AB for legal reasons – was given £9,000 in subsistence; £1,500 to cover legal fees; £3,120 for therapy, £2,010 towards a holiday at Disneyland Paris; £3,765 to clear debts and £375 for a stay at a spiritual retreat.
The woman faked a terminal illness to inveigle herself into the Reverend William Bulloch’s (pictured) life and later invented a story that they had an affair behind his wife’s back
When AB, who is in her 40s, wanted a brand new car – ‘so she knows no one has been in it before’ – the Church’s Interim Support Scheme agreed ‘to fund up to £8,000 for a recent, dealer-sourced vehicle plus warranty and servicing’.
The woman was given £875 for replacement settees as ‘neither she nor members of her family will sit on the larger of her settees because of what happened there’ – despite the tribunal dismissing her claim of a sexual relationship with Mr Bulloch.
Sources close to the case say she was given at least another £10,000 after making a second application to the support scheme, set up last year by the Church’s executive body, the Archbishops’ Council, to help ‘survivors’ in ‘seriously distressed circumstances’.
The scheme has, however, been criticised for failing genuine victims such as Teresa Cooper, whose health was damaged by inappropriate drugs she received during years of abuse in a Church-run children’s home in the 1980s.
‘They literally just cut me off,’ she said.
Yesterday night the Church stated that the program had been improved. It added: ‘We are aware that a very limited number of payments were made in the early days of its operations which would not now be made.’
AB was represented at the Support Scheme Panel by Phil Johnson (Minister and Clergy sexual Abuse Survivors), who declared an interest.
Despite being cleared by a tribunal, Mr Bulloch was later referred to as the ‘abuser’ in some of the panel’s documents.
The tribunal heard that AB met Mr Bulloch, 53, of St James the Great Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in August 2015, and a ‘pastoral relationship’ developed which included his wife and family.
During 2016 and 2017 the woman appeared to become unwell and faked letters from doctors asking Mr Bulloch to grant her ‘dying wish’ to live with a family.
The clergyman ended contact with her. She claimed he had sex in public with her, and that she was pregnant.
Although Mr Bulloch had not had an affair with AB, the tribunal said he ‘acted extremely naively’ by swearing at her and not referring her to safeguarding officials. He was allowed to return to work.
The woman – known as AB for legal reasons – was given £9,000 in subsistence; £1,500 to cover legal fees; £3,120 for therapy, £2,010 towards a holiday at Disneyland Paris (pictured); £3,765 to clear debts and £375 for a stay at a spiritual retreat
The Church of England said in a statement: ‘The scheme was set up a year ago in response to a very concerning urgent need of a survivor and continues to support survivors in need.
‘The terms of reference have been developed over the last year with the latest version being agreed in September by the Archbishops’ Council.
‘As with all processes the operation of the scheme will be kept under continual review.
“We know that very few payments were made during the initial days of operations, which we would have no problem with now.
“Such grants were granted before the terms of reference were established. We have learned from this and created our scheme accordingly.
‘We are absolutely committed to both responding well to survivors and also to learning when we get the process wrong.’