Emmanuel Church has issued a “sincere apology” for the harm inflicted by its former youth leader, Daniel Reed, following his conviction for indecently assaulting two young men.

Reed was sentenced to a twelve-month prison term in November, suspended for two years. He was also mandated to undergo 40 days of rehabilitation and complete 150 hours of unpaid work. 

The 57-year-old was accused of plying teenagers with alcohol before indecently assaulting them on separate occasions at his home in Hove in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Following the conviction, the church, previously known as Clarendon Church or the Christ of Church the King, remained silent. However, six months after the ruling, the church has finally acknowledged the harm caused by Reed. 

“We are deeply saddened and troubled by the impact this has caused those who have lived under the shadow of this for the last 30-35 years,” the statement read. “We cannot begin to imagine the mental pain and anguish that this has caused. It takes immense courage to bring such painful experiences into the open.

“We wish to personally express our sincere apology for what those impacted by these crimes have gone through.”

It continued: “The church has for many years aimed for best practice in safeguarding and child protection. We are committed to working alongside safeguarding experts to continually improve and strengthen our approach, which includes regular scrutiny from independent bodies and the local authority. 

“We encourage anyone who might have faced similar incidents to contact authorities or the Church Safeguarding team for support.” 

Reed has also been added to the sex offenders register for ten years, and as a result, he will not be allowed to work with children or vulnerable adults.