After 11 years of service as head of the Church of England, Justin Welby resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury on Tuesday over his failure to denounce prolific child molester and Christian lawyer John Smyth. His resignation came after a while independent review The report, published last week, found Mr Welby and the Church of England had knowledge at the “highest level” about Smyth’s abuse in 2013 but failed to report it to police and authorities in the UK.

The review said the Church of England covered up the actions of “the worst and most brutal serial abuser who subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks”.

Who was John Smyth?

Smyth was a barrister and evangelical Christian and chairman of the Iwerne Trust, which ran summer camps for young Christians in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s. Smyth was also a lawyer who prosecuted gay rights activists in those years.

Smyth is said to have physically, psychologically and sexually abused young men and boys he selected from Christian summer camps at his home in Winchester. He beat young boys “horribly” with garden canes in his shed. He is also said to have forced them to strip naked.

According to a BBC report, eight of the boys received a total of 14,000 lashes over three years, while the other two were sentenced to 8,000 lashes.

Smyth also cared for the boys, including her own seven-year-old son. One survivor said he received more than 1,000 cane blows at a time. Some had to wear diapers to stop the bleeding.

His abuse came to light in the 1980s but he was never exposed, allowing him to continue his abuse. Although a review was conducted in 1982, those who conducted the review covered it up. Winchester College, where many of the victims came from, also did not contact the police. The university asked Smyth never to enter the institution.

He soon moved to Zimbabwe with his wife, Anne, where he continued his abuse. He was accused of manslaughter in the manslaughter of a 16-year-old boy who attended one of his summer camps. The boy was found dead in a swimming pool at a holiday camp in 1992. After the case was dismissed, he moved to South Africa.

John Smyth abused up to 130 boys and young men in the UK, Zimbabwe and possibly other African countries.

According to the report, approximately 30 boys and young men in the UK are known to have suffered direct physical and psychological abuse. In Zimbabwe and South Africa, the number is around 85, but the total number is “probably much higher”. The report also described him as “arguably the most prolific serial abuser associated with the Church of England”.

The story of Smyth’s abuse resurfaced in 2012, when a church official in the United Kingdom received a letter from a fellow survivor. Although the police were informed, the Church of England did not make a formal complaint.

But in 2017, a special documentary made public details of Smyth’s abuse. Only then did the police launch a full investigation.