Church of Ireland 'safeguarding failings' over pastor's criminal record

An investigation has uncovered a series of alleged safeguarding failings linked to an east Belfast church where a man with 45 convictions was appointed as a lay pastor.

Joe Turner took up the role with the Church of Ireland at St Brendan's in Sydenham in 2017 – shortly after an assault in which he was said to have broken the ribs of a man in his 70s. He was convicted of assault later that year.

Turner has said he rejected the suggestion his criminal past was relevant to his suitability for the role he held at the church.

The Church of Ireland did not comment on the allegations in relation to Turner, but said it took its safeguarding responsibilities very seriously.

BBC Spotlight interviewed a number of whistleblowers as part of a programme examining safeguarding issues within the Church of Ireland – from both the past and more recent years.

Turner was appointed as a so-called commissioned lay worker at St Brendan's, but said his role was to act as a pastor for the east Belfast parish.

Spotlight has seen a confidential church report, which outlined numerous concerns about his behaviour.

The report was compiled in response to a serious allegation made against Turner in late 2019 by a vulnerable woman in the parish.

He was placed on a precautionary suspension while the Church of Ireland carried out an internal review.

It ultimately found the woman's allegation lacked credibility, but it brought to light multiple other concerns about Turner.

At the point of his suspension, it was discovered that Turner had not undergone the enhanced criminal record check – or Access NI - that was required for his role.

Turner told Spotlight he had undergone such a check for a previous role and believed it was therefore not required.

However, even after he was prompted by the church two years into his employment, he still failed to undergo a check for a further five months.

He said the church was aware of his history, which is understood to include past connections to paramilitary activity and a five and a half year prison sentence for armed robbery.

The church said at the time the check did not take place due to an oversight.

An Access NI check eventually happened more than two years after the assault on the pensioner.

Safeguarding expert Marcella Leonard said that was "not acceptable".

"This is beyond being a failure. This a complete lack of proactive safeguarding for a known risk," she said.

When Turner was suspended, he was instructed by a senior figure in the church not to attend a youth trip to the US.

The trip was to a Christian theme park in Kentucky involving children as young as 14.

Despite being ordered not to attend, Turner went along anyway.

Turner told the church he went on the trip as a parent of a child in attendance.

He said that had he known the details of the serious complaint against him, he would have reconsidered going.

Further concerns about Turner's behaviour while on the trip were brought to light in the internal church report. The main allegation was that "he entered, without knocking, a bedroom for female youth group members, when some of them were undressed".

In a statement, Turner denied this and also denied engaging in any conduct that caused distress.

Separately, a former minister from another Church of Ireland parish in east Belfast detailed what he believed to be a further safeguarding concern involving the bishop of the diocese David McClay.

His account is disputed by the bishop.

Rev Adrian McCartney was among those who helped report the initial serious allegation, which was ultimately found to have no veracity, made by the vulnerable woman.

A year after the allegation was reported, Rev McCartney said he was approached by Bishop of Down and Dromore David McClay.

He told Spotlight that Bishop McClay asked him to try to persuade the woman to retract her statement.

He said the bishop also offered "a small number of thousands of pounds" to help the woman "relocate".

He said the conversations with Bishop McClay happened over the course of two meetings in October 2020, and he said he declined on both occasions.

In a statement, Bishop McClay strongly rejected Rev McCartney's allegations.

He said a meeting he attended in October 2020 had been part of an episcopal visitation.

He said he offered whatever pastoral care he could to help the woman concerned – as well as assisting Rev McCartney as he tried to support her.

The bishop claimed Rev McCartney's allegations were the result of a personal grievance over theological differences.

Rev McCartney acknowledged that the pair had not got on, but said that was not why he was speaking out.

The Church of Ireland did not comment on any allegations concerning Joe Turner or Bishop McClay, but said in a statement that it took its safeguarding responsibilities very seriously, and believed its current structure, policies and procedures were robust.