Anthony Pierce

Anthony Pierce, once a prominent figure in the Church in Wales as the bishop of Swansea and Brecon from 1999 to 2008, has been sentenced to four years and one month in prison for sexually abusing a boy under the age of 16 during the 1980s. The offences took place while Pierce was serving as a parish priest at Holy Cross Church in West Cross, Swansea. He pleaded guilty last month to five counts of indecent assault on a male child, admitting to grooming and abusing the trust placed in him by the young victim, whom he had christened as a baby.

The judge at Swansea Crown Court described Pierce as a 'groomer' who had grossly abused his position of authority. The abuse involved multiple instances of touching the victim's genitals, leaving the victim with lasting trauma and a sense of shame that prevented him from speaking out for decades. In a statement read to the court, the victim recounted feeling 'an overwhelming sense of embarrassment and shame' and being unable to say no, believing he was 'helping' Pierce. He later recognised this as grooming and expressed relief at Pierce's guilty plea, stating it allowed him to begin the healing process after years of torment.

The allegations surfaced in 2023 when the victim disclosed the crimes to a Church in Wales safeguarding officer, prompting an immediate report to South Wales Police. Detective Inspector Sharon Gill-Lewis commended the victim's bravery, noting that the force takes all reports of sexual assault seriously, regardless of when they occurred. Monique McKevitt from the Crown Prosecution Service highlighted the 'gross abuse of trust' by Pierce, who was entrusted with religious ceremonies yet preyed opportunistically on the boy. Initially, in a police interview, Pierce denied the events from over 35 years prior, but he admitted the charges when confronted with overwhelming evidence.

This case is compounded by separate allegations of sexual abuse against Pierce from 1993, which were known to senior church figures but not reported to police until 2010, by which time the victim had died. During the intervening 17 years, Pierce was promoted to bishop, retiring in 2008. The Church in Wales has commissioned an independent external review into the handling of the 1993 allegation and its safeguarding processes for appointing senior clergy. A spokesperson for the church expressed 'profound shame' over the offences, confirming that Pierce will face an accelerated disciplinary process, potentially leading to his deposition from Holy Orders.

Upon his release, the 84-year-old Pierce will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offenders register for life. The sentencing, reported by ITV News Wales on 12 March 2025, underscores the church's commitment to addressing historical abuses, though critics like Joseph Carr from Bolt Burdon Kemp's abuse team have called it an 'absolute scandal' that Pierce was promoted despite prior suspicions.