Paedophile bishop Peter Ball who was a close friend of Prince Charles dies aged 87
A PAEDOPHILE bishop and close pal of Prince Charles has died aged 87, it emerged last night.
Retired Bishop of Gloucester Peter Ball was jailed for 32 months in October 2015 for grooming and abusing 18 teenagers and young men – one of whom committed suicide.
In February 2017 he was freed from prison halfway through his sentence having served 16 months.
Ball had enjoyed close ties to the future king Prince Charles who has previously penned the disgraced bishop “dozens” of letters.
The Church of England confirmed Ball’s death and offered “prayers and thoughts” for “everyone affected”.
Bishop Peter Hancock, the Church’s safeguarding lead, said: “We have been made aware of the death of Peter Ball and our prayers and thoughts are with everyone affected by this news.”
Ball, of Langport in Somerset, was Bishop of Lewes between 1977 and 1992 and Bishop of Gloucester from 1992 until he resigned the following year.
In a written submission to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse Prince Charles said he felt “deep personal regret” for trusting Ball when initial reports of abuse emerged years before he was jailed.
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