A jury has concluded that Jonathan Fletcher, a former minister at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon, indecently assaulted a man over approximately 25 years, with incidents occurring between 1973 and 1999.
The assaults primarily involved beating the man’s bare buttocks with a gym shoe. Fletcher often referred to these beatings as “six of the best.”
The two-day hearing ended with the jury finding that Fletcher had committed the acts. The final assault is believed to have been particularly brutal and took place in the 1990s. The final beating was allegedly so bad that the victim considered suicide.
Fletcher, now in his mid-80s, was not present at the hearing and will not face a conventional criminal trial or sentence. In late 2025, a judge ruled him unfit to plead due to his health – Fletcher has dementia. As a result, the full trial on eight counts of indecent assault (and one charge of grievous bodily harm with intent) was replaced by an examination-of-the-facts process. The legal procedure allows a jury to determine whether the alleged acts occurred, without resulting in a conviction or punishment.
Fletcher served as minister at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon from 1982 until his retirement in 2012. He was a prominent figure in conservative evangelical Anglican circles. Earlier independent reports and investigations had raised concerns about his conduct, including allegations of inappropriate physical “discipline,” naked massages, and abuse of power over a period of years.
The complainant's police interview was shown in court. During the interview the man described Fletchers’ demeanour throughout the ordeal: “He would just get it over with. Always six strokes. He gave the impression he found it distasteful … regrettable but necessary.” The beatings were “spiritual discipline, promoting holiness in life”.
For his part, Fletcher did not deny beating the man’s bare buttocks, but claimed the acts had no sexual intent.
The beatings were often characterised as a punishment or discipline due to masturbation. The victim alleged that as well as beatings, Fletcher asked him to masturbate in front of him as a way of demonstrating the shamefulness of the act. In a somewhat disturbing twist however, when the victim did not do so in front of him, Fletcher reportedly did so himself.
