Reverend Colin Pritchard

Reverend Colin Pritchard was a vicar in a Chichester parish within the Diocese of Chichester and a friend of fellow perpetrator Reverend Roy Cotton. Together, they abused Philip Johnson during his teenage years. Pritchard pleaded guilty in 2008 to seven counts of sexual assault against two boys during his time in a Northamptonshire parish, for which he was jailed for five years. Further allegations emerged regarding his actions in Chichester.

In 2018, Pritchard was convicted of several counts of indecent assault and rape against a boy aged between 10 and 15. The offences involved conspiring with Cotton to commit the abuses. He received a sentence of 16 years’ imprisonment. The 1997–98 Sussex Police investigation into Pritchard and Cotton was inadequate, with delays and incomplete enquiries leading to no charges at the time, allowing both to evade justice initially. Later operations, Perry and Dunhill, were more thorough, leading to their convictions.

The IICSA inquiry criticised the Church's response, noting Pritchard's case as emblematic of broader failures in Chichester, where 20 individuals connected to the Diocese were convicted of child sexual offences over 50 years. Institutional arrogance and tribalism among clergy prevented effective action, with victims like Johnson suffering long-term trauma. The report quotes the Archbishops’ Council admitting to “moral cowardice” in handling such cases.