A FORMER bishop has been jailed for sexually abusing a boy over a five-year period while serving as a priest.
Anthony Pierce, 84, who was bishop of Swansea and Brecon from 1999 to 2008, admitted five counts of indecent assault on a child under 16.
Swansea Crown Court heard the abuse took place between 1985 and 1990 while Pierce was a parish priest in West Cross, Swansea.
Sentencing him to four years and one month in prison—half to be served behind bars before release on licence—Judge Catherine Richards told him: “You exploited his age and your position of trust.”
In a statement read in court, the victim said he remembered “exactly how I felt as the abuse took place” and described an “overwhelming sense of embarrassment” that prevented him from speaking out at the time.
“I have very low self-esteem and self-worth. I do not have friends. I feel trapped as I’m unable to move past the trauma of what happened,” he said.
The victim said he became dependent on alcohol as a teenager and struggled to form relationships. However, speaking out had given him an “overwhelming sense of relief” and made him feel “released from something that’s had a hold over me all these years”.
Pierce, who appeared in court with grey hair and glasses, was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the sex offenders register for life, barring him from working or volunteering with children or vulnerable adults.
Prosecutor Dean Pulling said the abuse was “completely uninvited and unwanted”.
“He said he felt repelled by what the defendant did to him,” Mr Pulling told the court.
During a police interview, Pierce denied being attracted to children.
Judge Richards told Pierce, who was in his late 40s at the time of the offences: “You were expected to be trusted and respected. Any parent or adult at that time would understandably have trusted that their child was safe with you and you would act in accordance with your professed Christian values.
“Instead, you began to groom him.”
Defending, Heath Edwards said Pierce “deeply regrets the behaviour” and warned there was a risk he would “spend the rest of his life serving a custodial sentence”.
The Church in Wales said it felt “profound shame” over the offences and confirmed allegations about Pierce’s abuse only emerged in 2023 when the victim came forward.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: “Anthony Pierce has abused his position, disgraced his church and, worst of all, inflicted appalling and lasting trauma on his victim.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim in this case, who has shown immense courage in reporting what are deeply painful experiences. We offer him the most heartfelt apology for what he has had to endure.”
It later emerged that a separate allegation of sexual abuse against Pierce was reported to senior church figures in 1993—17 years before it was passed to police. The alleged victim, believed to have been under 18 at the time, had died by the time the church informed officers in 2010.
The Church in Wales has launched an independent review into the handling of that complaint and wider safeguarding procedures.
Pierce, who was made a commander of the Order of St John in 2002 and a knight of the order in 2010 for charitable service, is no longer a member, St John Ambulance confirmed.
He stepped down as bishop in January 2008, aged 67. Swansea University, which had awarded him an honorary fellowship, said it would now review that decision.
The Right Reverend John Lomas, the current Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, said he would ask the tribunal to consider deposing Pierce from Holy Orders—the most severe sanction available.
Monique McKevitt, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said Pierce initially denied the offences but pleaded guilty when confronted with “overwhelming prosecution evidence”.
She described his actions as a “gross abuse of trust” by someone expected to preside over important religious ceremonies.
An NSPCC spokesperson said: “As a parish priest, Pierce grossly exploited his position of trust in the community to abuse a teenage boy.
“The victim in this case has shown great bravery in speaking out and helping to ensure Pierce faced justice for his crimes.
“Child sexual abuse can have a devastating and lasting impact on the victims, which is why it is so important that anyone who suffers such abuse knows that if they speak out, they will be listened to and supported.
“It is also vital that anyone who has worries about a child’s safety, raises their concerns. They can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or [email protected].”
