Reverend Gordon Rideout

Reverend Gordon Rideout was ordained as a priest in 1962 and served as an assistant curate in Sussex within the Diocese of Chichester. In this role, he acted as chaplain to a nearby Barnardo’s Children’s Home, where he indecently assaulted a number of children. He later moved to an English army base, facing allegations of indecent assault against three girls, though he was acquitted on those charges. Despite these historic allegations, Rideout returned to Chichester and continued his ministry without any safeguarding restrictions imposed by the Diocese.

The Diocese of Chichester failed to open a safeguarding file on Rideout, even though previous arrests and allegations were known to senior figures such as Bishop John Hind and Bishop Wallace Benn. He was granted permission to officiate without conditions, allowing him unrestricted access to children and young people. This institutional neglect enabled further abuse. In 2013, Rideout was convicted of 36 offences of child sexual abuse involving 16 victims spanning several decades. He was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) highlighted the Church of England's inadequate response to allegations against clergy like Rideout, marked by secrecy and avoidance of reporting to authorities. One victim, abused from the age of 10, received an apology from the Bishop of Chichester only in 2013, over 40 years after the abuse began. The inquiry noted that the Church's prioritisation of reputation over child protection had devastating consequences, with victims suffering lifelong impacts, including loss of faith and, in some cases, suicide.