THE former Bishop of Chester would have been questioned over a string of historic sexual abuse allegations if he was alive, police have confirmed.

The late Hubert Victor Whitsey, whose title covered the old Cheshire boundary, has been investigated over a number of alleged sexual offences against children and adults while he held the title.

Cheshire Police investigated alleged offences from the 1970s and 1980s against 13 victims – five male and eight female – during Operation Coverage.

Assistant chief constable Nick Bailey said Bishop Whitsey, who died in December 1987, would have been spoken to by detectives if he was still alive when the investigation started in July 2016.

He said: "The police have a duty to carry out a proportionate investigation into all allegations of sexual abuse, even if the alleged offences took place many years ago and the person being accused has since died.

"Following a thorough investigation and taking into account all of the information available, it has been established that, if Bishop Whitsey were alive today, as part of the investigation process he would have been spoken to by police.

"This would have been in order to outline the details of the allegations made and to provide him with an opportunity to offer an account of events.

"It is important to remember that this is not an indication of guilt, this is a key part of the investigation process and this happens regularly as part of a case to obtain an account whether this leads to further action or not.

"It is not the role of the police to judge whether someone is guilty or innocent."

Following the announcement by police, legal firm Slater Gordon released a statement from an alleged victim.

“When I met Victor Whitsey I was young, innocent, and naïve," they said.

"I longed for his blessing to achieve my wish of a future as a vicar, serving God and the community.

"He told me he agreed I had a calling from God. He also told me he had the power to give me everything I wanted in life and the power to take it all away.

"He then proceeded to abuse me sexually and psychologically. I was powerless to stop him.

“I blamed myself, thought I was the only victim and rationalised that it was my fault. If he was acting with Gods will, I should have enjoyed and welcomed what he did but I didn’t. If he was acting against God’s will, I should have rejected and reported him but I didn’t.

"Whichever way I rationalised it, I was a failure and not worthy of God’s love.

“I told no-one, who would believe a teenage boy’s word against a Bishop of the Church of England?

"I became reclusive and came to the ultimate conclusion 'The prospect of ever seeing Victor Whitsey again was so abhorrent to me that I turned my back on my beloved church and my calling to serve God.

"I self-harmed and have spent a lifetime focusing on resentment and bitterness.

"I cannot see my abuser face trial in a court on earth but I hope that by a public acknowledgement of what Whitsey did to us, the church can learn that they need to adopt a new culture of openness.

"I hope that there will be a public inquiry to understand not only what Whitsey did to his victims but to also learn who knew what he was doing, to what extent his actions were intentionally covered up, and who else was complicit in the crimes that he committed, and for which, I continue to suffer every day of my life.”

Dr Peter Forster, the current Bishop of Chester, and Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, said the Church of England was 'deeply sorry' following the announcement.

“We are deeply sorry and apologise to those individuals who have come forward to share their account of abuse by a bishop in the Church of England who was in a position of power and authority," they said in a joint statement.

"We appreciate that it is very difficult for individuals to come forward and to give their account. Sexual abuse is a heinous crime – and is an absolute and shameful breach of trust.

"We acknowledge that for survivors, the effects of sexual abuse are lifelong. We are offering pastoral support to all those who have come forward and continue to hold them all in our prayers.

"The Church will consider what lessons can be learnt from this case and whether any action needs to be taken as a result of what these enquiries have shown.”

Anyone affected by today's announcement can call the CCPAS helpline on 0303 003 11 11 or NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

Information can be passed onto Cheshire Police by calling 101.