Bleeding for Jesus

A Christian barrister and moral crusader who viciously caned young men in his garden shed.

An exclusive network of powerful men seeking control in the Church of England.

A scandalous mishandling of abuse that led to the downfall of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

This is a substantially expanded and revised new edition of the acclaimed book by journalist and broadcaster Andrew Graystone. It tells the extraordinary true story of John Smyth QC, a high-flying barrister who used his role in the church to abuse more than a hundred men and boys in three countries, how he was spirited out of the UK, and how he played the role of moral crusader to evade justice over four decades. It reveals how scores of respected church leaders conspired to cover up Smyth’s crimes – a scandal that led to the death of a 14-year-old boy and ultimately the resignation of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Journalist and broadcaster Andrew Graystone has pursued the truth about Smyth and those who enabled him to escape justice. He has heard the excruciating testimony of many of Smyth’s victims, and has uncovered court and church documents, reports, letters and emails.

This new edition of Bleeding for Jesus reveals further evidence of who knew and turned a blind eye to decades of abuses by Smyth, including wealthy donors who knowingly financed his ministry. It describes how the man who masterminded the cover-up was himself revealed to be an abuser of children. It explains how Smyth exploited and abused his own family members, how the Church of England botched its official review of the Smyth affair, and how Welby continued to fail Smyth’s victims.