Viewers have been left "sickened" after the airing of a recent Channel 4 documentary, which explored the prolific abuser John Smyth.
Smyth was a barrister who was actively involved in Christian ministry for children and lived in Winchester during the period of the 1970s and early 1980s.
He was chairman of the Iwerne Trust between 1974 and 1981, which ran Christian holiday camps, and he had access to Winchester College through the Christian Forum from September 1973.
The organisation was informed of reports of his abuse of boys at these Iwerne camps in 1982.
The police were not informed of the 1982 report until 2013, and it became public in 2017.
Smyth then died of heart failure in August 2018 at the age of 77 while under investigation and was never charged.
The claims of abuse were solidified by the Makin Review, an independent review, released in 2024
In the review, it noted how John would abuse some of his victims in a soundproofed shed at his Winchester home.
It also found that during his time at Winchester College that 16 pupils had been abused, with an additional six and eight believed to have been groomed.
Smyth moved to Zimbabwe in 1984, where he continued to run children's camps there and then in South Africa.
The Makin Review found he abused around 85 boys and young men there.
Channel 4 explored this subject in the two-part documentary See No Evil, which revealed the scale of Smyth's abuse and features testimony from victims and survivors.
Its synopsis states: "A forensic exploration of the sinister world and psychology of prolific abuser John Smyth, and the biggest scandal in Church of England history. Featuring never-seen-before interviews."
Viewers 'sickened' by John Smyth's abuse
Viewers of See No Evil shared how "sickened" they were learning about Smyth's abuse and how it went on for so long.
Taking to X, one person said: "Watching this just now ....... absolutely sickening and abhorrent what happened to the boys. I can't begin to imagine what they have gone through."
Recommended reading:
- Winchester College accused of assisting in 'cover-up' of John Smyth's abuse
- Winchester barrister described as 'C of E's Jimmy Savile' was protected by church
Another wrote: "See No Evil on @Channel4 is staggeringly good. Two parter on abuser John Smyth. Heartbreaking, infuriating and brilliantly made - it will stay with me."
A third shared: "#SeeNoEvil is horrendous. The people who’ve come forward are unbelievably brave - and so are those who feel they can’t, or may never be able to.
"There are no words strong enough for a monster like that. Well done to those who created such a delicate account."
See No Evil is available to watch on Channel 4's online player.
Share