The Reverend Jonathan Fletcher, former Minister of Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon – a proprietary chapel within the Diocese of Southwark – was subject to an ‘examination of the facts’ hearing at Kingston Crown Court, 5 –11 May 2026. Mr Fletcher, who is aged 83, had been judged not fit to enter a plea, nor to stand trial. He faced one charge of Section 18 Grievous Bodily Harm with Intent, and eight counts of Indecent Assault of an Adult Male, representing at least sixteen separate allegations. The charge of Grievous Bodily Harm was dropped ahead of the examination of the facts by the jury, which subsequently found that Mr Fletcher had committed the remaining acts over a period of more than twenty years.
In these circumstances, the only suitable outcome that the judge could impose was an Absolute Discharge for each count. However, Her Honour Judge Plaschkes KC was clear that it is important for victims of sexual abuse to be heard and that the jury had considered the evidence and concluded that Mr Fletcher had indecently assaulted the victim without his consent.
The Bishop of Southwark, The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, said: “Our Safeguarding team has worked to support the survivor in this case and will continue to offer support to him. I would like to pay tribute to the survivor’s courage and strength in sharing his experiences and I acknowledge that this process has been very costly for him. While it cannot undo the pain of the past, we hope that this ruling will give him some comfort and enable him to move forward.
“We will continue to make safeguarding our highest priority, seeking to learn the lessons of the past and ensure that survivors’ voices and concerns inform our safeguarding practice.”
Mr Fletcher retired as minister of Emmanuel Church Wimbledon proprietary chapel in 2012 and has not held permission to officiate in the Diocese of Southwark since 2017. Mr Fletcher is not authorised to minister in the Church of England.
