A 70-year-old bishop has been charged with two counts of rape against a girl under the age of 16. David James Oakley, the Bishop of Northampton, was arrested in September last year following an allegation made to officers, Staffordshire Police said.
Details of the Alleged Offences
The alleged offences, which were investigated by Staffordshire Police's Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, were said to have taken place in Staffordshire between February 2000 and February 2001. Oakley is due to appear at Cannock Magistrates' Court on August 14.
Diocese Response
In a statement, the Catholic Diocese of Northampton, which covers Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, confirmed that Oakley was charged after an "investigation into non-recent safeguarding allegations." The statement continued: "We understand that this will be very distressing for all concerned but cannot comment further on an active legal process. If you have any safeguarding concerns please contact either our diocesan safeguarding team or the police directly."
Background on Oakley
According to the Diocese, Oakley is the thirteenth Bishop of Northampton. He was ordained in 1980 and served in several parishes within the Archdiocese of Birmingham before becoming Bishop of Northampton in 2020. At one point, Oakley had been in the running to become leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales.
