from Anglican Futures
Between 2019 and 2021 Emmanuel Church Wimbledon appear to have spent about £250,000 more than usual on ‘professional fees’ and ‘other expenses’. [1] This time covers the period during which they were managing the allegations surrounding their former vicar, Jonathan Fletcher. It is therefore reasonable to assume that some of this eye-watering sum was spent on trying to ensure that such terrible harm could never occur at their church again. Indeed, between 2019 and 2021, they commissioned the safeguarding charity Thirtyone:eight to undertake a Lessons Learned Review.
As regular readers of this blog will know, earlier this week, a jury found that Jonathan Fletcher had committed at least sixteen acts of indecent assault on a man over a period of approximately 25 years. The first reports of this finding appeared in Evangelicals Now and the Daily Telegraph on the evening of Monday 11th May 2026.
It took Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon a further three days to update their website with a statement about the findings. It cannot be because the trial took them by surprise – this statement replaced one which referenced the dates of the proceedings.