Jim Gamble appointed to Presbyterian Church review

Jim Gamble, who formally headed up the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, has been appointed to carry out an independent external review of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland's governance and safeguarding arrangements.

It follows the safeguarding crisis which engulfed the church in November last year.

The moderator of the Church, Right Rev Dr Richard Murray, said the review would be "victim focused and trauma informed".

He will work alongside safeguarding group INEQE.

In December, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland launched an inquiry into the Church.

Presbyterian moderator Rev Trevor Gribben stepped down last November after "serious and significant failings" in safeguarding.

Dr Murray wrote to all congregations on Friday to inform them of the appointment of INEQE.

He said over recent months, they had "sought to identify and secure the independent expertise" needed for the inquiry.

"The appointment is a genuine reflection of our total commitment to a credible, victim-centred, trauma-informed, open and transparent review, which will be conducted by a hugely respected safeguarding organisation, a leader in this field both in the UK and Ireland."

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is looking into safeguarding concerns at the church.

Their investigation followed a church admission of "serious and significant failings in the central safeguarding functions of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland from the period 2009 to 2022".

Churches have been told not to destroy any information that the PSNI may require as part of their investigation into the safeguarding failures.

An email was previously sent to congregations outlining the need to "preserve" documentation.