Victims of abuse within the Church of England have revealed that the personal details of nearly 200 survivors were exposed in a significant data breach.
The leak originated from a compensation scheme established to support them.
This incident marks a fresh setback for the Church, which has been striving to rebuild public trust following a series of sexual abuse scandals and the resignation of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby over his handling of a child abuse case in November 2024.
The Church, which serves 85 million Anglicans globally, approved an independent redress scheme for victims in February, alongside a major overhaul of its safeguarding structures.
According to The House of Survivors, a group founded by church abuse victims, the details of 194 individuals were included in an email sent late on Tuesday.
The email, dispatched by Kennedys Law, the firm managing the redress scheme, was sent to registered claimants, law firms, and Church officials, before being recalled minutes later.
The leak reinforced “the very failures of safeguarding and care that the redress scheme was meant to address,” The House of Survivors added.
The Church said it had been made aware of the “deeply regrettable data incident” and that Kennedys Law had taken full responsibility for the breach.
“We recognise the distress this has caused, particularly for survivors who trusted the scheme to handle their information with care and confidentiality,” the Church said in a statement.
The law firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Britain’s privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, said it was aware of the incident and was assessing the information provided.
David Greenwood, a lawyer representing abuse victims, called on the Church to compensate those affected.
He said one of his clients, who did not wish to be identified, had lodged a complaint, saying: “I have a right to lifelong anonymity under the law. This protection has now been severely compromised through no choice of my own.”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
