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A 70-year-old bishop has made his initial court appearance after being charged with two counts of rape involving a female under the age of 16. David Oakley, who serves as the Bishop of Northampton, was formally charged in June following an investigation conducted by Staffordshire Police.
During the hearing, Oakley appeared via videolink from his lawyer’s office at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring decided not to take a plea at this stage and directed the case to proceed to the Old Bailey for further proceedings. Oakley was granted bail with the stipulation that he must not contact the alleged victim or her family before the next scheduled hearing on 10 September.
The alleged offenses reportedly took place in Staffordshire between February 2000 and February 2001. At that time, Oakley was in his mid-40s and serving as a Catholic priest. Born in Stourbridge, West Midlands, Oakley was ordained in 1980 and later appointed Bishop of Northampton in 2020. Although he still holds the title of Bishop, he has stepped back from public ministry amid the ongoing legal process.
The Catholic Diocese of Northampton, which encompasses Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, issued a statement acknowledging the case as “very distressing for all concerned.” Oakley’s legal proceedings continue as the community awaits upcoming court dates
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