Ex-bishop admits historical indecent assaults on boy

A former bishop has admitted indecent assault on a child, the Church in Wales has said in a statement.

Anthony Pierce, who was bishop of Swansea and Brecon between 1999 and 2008, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Friday.

He admitted five counts of indecent assault on a male child under the age of 16, the church said.

It added the offences date from between 1985 and 1990, when Mr Pierce was a parish priest in West Cross, Swansea.

Mr Pierce has been remanded on bail and a provisional date of 7 March has been set for sentencing at Swansea Crown Court, the church said.

Allegations came to the church's attention in 2023 when the survivor made a disclosure to its safeguarding officer.

It said the disclosure was immediately passed to the police.

It added following sentencing, the Church in Wales Disciplinary Tribunal would consider further appropriate action.

A statement said: "The Church in Wales is appalled at the offences which have been revealed in this case and expresses its deepest sympathy with the victim for the abuse they have suffered."

"It is a cause of the most profound shame that a priest in the Church in Wales should have been convicted of such shocking crimes," it added.

The church said some members may have been aware of a further allegation made against Mr Pierce in 1993 and said it had commissioned an immediate review into how this was handled.

"There is no place for any form of abuse in the Church in Wales. We give the highest priority to the care and protection of children and vulnerable people in our communities.

"To this end we regularly review our safeguarding procedures and provide extensive training to staff and volunteers," it added.

In a letter to parishioners, the current bishop of Swansea and Brecon, the Right Reverend John Lomas, said that this case was "deeply shocking".

"We are perhaps beyond the stage of expressing shock when we discover a person in a position of trust has used that position to sexually abuse a vulnerable person," he said.

"It feels at the moment that you can hardly read, hear or watch the news without learning of the latest incident.

"But I know this particular case will be deeply shocking to so many of you. This isn't a person you've read about or seen on TV.

"Tony Pierce was your parish priest, your archdeacon, your bishop. The Diocese is full of people baptised, confirmed or ordained by him," he added.