Former Anglican Minister Jonathan Fletcher Found to Have Indecently Assaulted Man for 25 Years: Dementia Spares Him Trial
A jury has formally concluded that former Anglican minister Jonathan Fletcher, once one of the most prominent figures in British conservative evangelicalism, indecently assaulted a man for approximately 25 years between 1973 and 1999. Fletcher, now in his mid 80s, was ruled unfit to plead...
Emmanuel Church Wimbledon Conservative Evangelical Leader Beat Victim's Bare Buttocks With a Gym Shoe Calling It Six of the Best
A jury has formally concluded that former Anglican minister Jonathan Fletcher, once one of the most prominent figures in British conservative evangelicalism, indecently assaulted a man for approximately 25 years between 1973 and 1999. Fletcher, now in his mid 80s, was ruled unfit to plead due to dementia in late 2025. He faces no conventional trial or sentencing.
The findings were released on 12 May 2026 through an examination of the facts procedure, which determines whether acts occurred without resulting in conviction.
Conservative Evangelical Anglican Leader Jonathan Fletcher Abuse Findings Confirmed by Jury
Fletcher served as minister at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon from 1982 until 2012. The abuse he was found to have perpetrated involved beating the victim's bare buttocks with a gym shoe, an act Fletcher branded "six of the best." The final assault in the 1990s was so severe the victim contemplated suicide.
Fletcher did not deny the beatings. He claimed they had "no sexual intent" and framed them as "spiritual discipline" related to masturbation. The victim's account, shown in a police interview, detailed coerced sexual acts. "He would just get it over with. Always six strokes," the victim said. Fletcher allegedly forced him to masturbate and did so himself when the victim refused. The case is one of the most significant safeguarding scandals in British conservative evangelical Anglicanism.
The Crusader's Opinion
"Spiritual discipline" is the abuser's most cynical phrase. Jonathan Fletcher dressed sadistic sexual assault in the language of holy correction and got away with it for a quarter century in one of London's most respectable evangelical Anglican churches. The Church owes survivors transparency, prosecution where possible, and the absolute end of any leader who claims spiritual authority to physically discipline adults. Dementia may spare Fletcher trial. It must not spare the institution of accountability. Every Anglican parish in Britain must reread its safeguarding policies tonight.
Take Action
- Donate: Thirtyone:eight, the UK Christian safeguarding charity
- Pray: For the victim and every survivor of clergy abuse in conservative evangelical circles
- Read: The independent review into Emmanuel Church Wimbledon
- Demand: Your church publish its current safeguarding policy on its website
- Share: The "six of the best" account and warn fellow Christians about predatory leaders
