Prince Charles Claims He 'Didn't Know' Pedophile Bishop Had Done Anything Wrong
Next British King says he didn't realise convicted child rapist friend was a pedo
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Prince Charles has given a testimony in a public inquiry claiming that he "didn't know" that his close friend, convicted child rapist Bishop Peter Ball, was a pedophile, as he defended their ongoing friendship in court.
In October 2015, Ball was sentenced to 32 months' imprisonment for sexually abusing 18 young boys over a period of 15 years from 1977 to 1992.
Further charges of raping two other boys, aged 13 and 15, were allowed to lie on file in a contentious decision by the CPS.
The disgraced clergy was released on license in February 2017 after serving on 16 months in jail.
The future British king told the court he was unaware that the bishop he was friends with for over 20 years was a pedophile because he didn’t understand the clergyman’s conviction for raping children equated to an "admission of guilt."
During the hearing, the Prince of Wales also revealed that he sent "gifts of money" to Ball whilst he was in prison because he wanted to help his friend who "was in need."
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RT reports: The prince has revealed that he formed a close friendship with Peter Ball for more than 20 years, until 2015, when the bishop was convicted for sexually abusing over a dozen victims.
In 1993, Ball had to resign his ministry following a police investigation into his abuse of boys and young men that led to him accepting a caution.
The Prince of Wales has made a written statement, described as a draft, to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), which will be made public next week.
The prince, who gave the statement voluntarily, said he had “decades of correspondence” with Ball and occasionally sent him “small gifts of money, as I do for many people in need,” the Times reports.
Ball’s history with the royals shows he has been at the center of many of their lives’ landmarks.
In 2006, he conducted the funeral of Bruce Shand, the Duchess of Cornwall’s father.
The bishop was also invited to give Communion at the prince’s home of Highgrove and set up home in a Duchy of Cornwall property between 1997 and 2011.
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Ball’s connections to influential establishment figures and the question of whether they interfered with the criminal justice process will be put under the microscope at the inquiry next week.
The IICSA published a timetable for five days of hearings on Thursday, disclosing that the prince’s statement would be read but he would not be summoned to answer questions.
The prince said the bishop told him that he had been caught up in an "indiscretion" and that an individual with a personal grudge had been "persecuting" him.
The prince added:
“I was certainly not aware at the time of the significance or impact of the caution...
"Whilst I note that Peter Ball mentioned the word in a letter to me in October 2009, I was not aware until recently that a caution, in fact, carries an acceptance of guilt.”
He expressed “deep personal regret” that he had been duped by Ball.
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