Church Of England Faces Reckoning Over Zimbabwe Abuse Scandal
Seven Zimbabweans have filed a lawsuit against the Church of England, accusing it of concealing s€xu@l abuse committed by senior church figure John Smyth QC during the 1980s and 1990s.
The claimants include six men who say they were abused as teenagers at Christian holiday camps in Zimbabwe, and the mother of Guide Nyachuru, a 16-year-old boy who was found dead in a swimming pool at one of Smyth’s camps in 1992.
The victims are represented by British law firm Leigh Day.
The legal action, announced on Saturday, follows findings from a recent inquiry that revealed the Church of England failed to report Smyth’s criminal abuse in the United Kingdom between 1982 and 1984.
That failure, the claimants argue, allowed Smyth to relocate to Zimbabwe, where he continued his pattern of violent s€xu@l abuse.
The claim details acts including forced nudity, beatings with table tennis and jokari bats, indecent exposure, groping, and intrusive questioning about masturbation.
An internal church investigation at the time acknowledged the criminal nature of Smyth’s actions but did not involve law enforcement.
Instead, senior clergy allegedly encouraged him to leave the UK.
“The failure to report Smyth to the authorities appears to have been motivated by a desire to protect the reputation of the Church of England,” the claimants stated.
After relocating, Smyth established the Zambesi Trust UK, which funded his work and expenses in Zimbabwe.
The trust’s council included prominent conservative evangelicals, and its support enabled Smyth to host the camps where the abuse occurred.
The lawsuit specifically targets St Andrew the Great Church in Cambridge, which employed the late Reverend Mark Ruston, who led the initial internal investigation.
It alleges Ruston and other senior church officials “deliberately concealed the abuse and failed to report it to the police, despite acknowledging that crimes had been committed.”
The claimants cite the 2024 Makin Review, commissioned by the Church of England, which concluded that church leaders actively covered up Smyth’s abuse and considered him “a problem solved and exported to Africa.”
The report’s release led to the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and disciplinary proceedings against several clergy members.
“In orchestrating this cover-up, Ruston and the other Church of England officers… knowingly enabled him to continue to have access to and be involved with vulnerable boys.
“But for the breaches, our clients would not have been abused by Smyth and would not have suffered the harm detailed,” the legal letter stated.
One of the victims, Rocky Leanders, said:
“The memory of the shame and humiliation I suffered to satisfy John Smyth has never left me… I feel increasingly angry that the Church of England exported this criminal to Zimbabwe.”
Edith Nyachuru, sister of the late Guide Nyachuru, added:
“The Church of England had the power to stop Smyth before he ever came to Zimbabwe. Instead, they chose silence.”
The victims are demanding a full apology, financial compensation, and an independent investigation into Smyth’s abuses in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Leigh Day solicitor Rebekah Read, who represents the claimants, said:
“This case is about accountability. The Church of England had multiple opportunities to stop John Smyth and protect vulnerable boys. Instead, it chose to protect its reputation.”
The lawsuit exposes deep institutional failures and signals a turning point in holding the Church accountable.
