Warning: Readers may find some aspects of this report deeply disturbing.
A jury has found that Jonathan Fletcher indecently assaulted a man over a period spanning around a quarter of a century – ending with a particularly brutal assault in the 1990s.
Fletcher, a former Minister at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon, carried out the assaults on the complainant’s bare buttocks with a gym shoe between 1973 and 1999. At a two-day "trial of the facts" at Kingston Crown Court on 7 and 8 May, the court heard how Fletcher would describe the beatings as "six of the best".
The jury of ten women and two men unanimously concluded that Fletcher had carried out a particularly brutal indecent assault sometime between 1991 and 1999.
Fletcher had not denied beating the complainant’s bare buttocks on several occasions, but said they were not sexual in nature.
In his police interview, which was shown to the court, the complainant said the assaults were always with a rubber-soled gym shoe on his bare buttocks; always six strokes - and Fletcher behaved as though it was perfectly normal.
He added: “He would say ‘six of the best’, very matter of fact, he would just get it over with. Always six strokes. He gave the impression he found it distasteful… regrettable but necessary” for “spiritual discipline, promoting holiness in life”.
This was an unusual criminal case. Fletcher, now 83, pleaded not guilty in August 2024 to eight counts of indecent assault on a male under the Sexual Offences Act 1956. But by the time of the trial, he was suffering from dementia and was declared unfit to plead. The court heard that a CT scan in 2023 confirmed that Fletcher, who was not in court and is understood to be living in Leicestershire, had dementia.
The jury had to determine whether they were satisfied that they were sure Fletcher indecently assaulted the complainant without his consent.
No defence evidence was presented in court and the police interview was the sole prosecution evidence. However, the jury were presented with several agreed facts, including that Fletcher admits “physical chastisement on the bare buttocks with a rubber gym shoe for the sin of masturbation”.
A separate charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent was dropped, after the defence sought to prevent the prosecution from relying on a joint psychiatric report obtained in earlier civil proceedings.
Spiritual ‘check-up’
The complainant first came into contact with Fletcher when he was 13 and attending a Pathfinders club at church. At 16, their contact increased with Bible studies led by Fletcher; and confirmation classes at his maisonette. The court heard that Fletcher would take several boys home, and the complainant would be the last to be dropped off.
He described Fletcher’s increasing influence on him. Fletcher was instrumental in his teen conversion and made him feel "special". He was flattered when Fletcher invited him to lead on national Christian camps (which he did for several years); but Fletcher disapproved of a major life decision the complainant intended to make – and he was no longer "invited" to help on camp.
But after a year or so, contact resumed and he would see Fletcher regularly for a "spiritual check-up". Alongside Bible study and prayer, the complainant said there was always a “touchstone” question about masturbation.
Fletcher first introduced sanctions when the complainant was 18 and this was when the indecent assaults began. He described his shock and humiliation and “in a strange way it actually increased the sense of control over me, the sense of dependence, sense of need of his approval, of… almost a sense of almost go-between me and God”. Because he was the younger man, he also felt he “could not say no” to Fletcher’s actions.
This continued for several more years with the beatings occurring at least 20 times - until the final beating in the 1990s. The court heard the complainant describe this as a particularly brutal beating which left him in pain and left him feeling “worthless and considering suicide” for several weeks.
Beatings aside, the complainant said in interview that “the worst sanction was when he made me do an ‘action replay’ - the idea that this would be so shaming to masturbate in front of him…” He recounted how Fletcher asked him to perform the sex act, but when he could not – Fletcher did it instead.
The complainant described the long-term control Fletcher had exerted over him. He said: “The damaging part was feeling I couldn’t take any major decisions without his approval.”
After the verdict, the judge HHJ Sarah Plaschkes KC said she had no alternative but to grant Fletcher an absolute discharge. In unfit to plead cases, the only other options were a hospital order for treatment (which he did not need); or a supervision order. However, the judge said neither social workers nor the probation service would supervise in these circumstances.
Help and support
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, help is available via: FearFree Support (www.fearfree.org.uk); the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 / safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk; The Samaritans helpline - 116 123; The National Association for People Abused in Childhood napac.org.uk.
Nicola Laver is a legal journalist and non-practicing solicitor with more than 25 years’ experience in the legal sector. Nicola is also a formally-trained journalist (NCTJ) and a former Editor of Solicitors Journal. She writes regularly for en.
