Jehovah's Witness ministers 'delayed reporting child abuse claims to police'
Mrs Justice Lieven said there had been a "failure to take effective steps to protect a young child" which gave rise to "deep concern".
The judge said evidence in a case she had analysed showed that ministers, known as "elders" in a Jehovah's Witness congregation, knew about the allegations in December 2016, when the girl was nine, but had not reported them to police until July 2019
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Hide AdShe said they had waited despite knowing the man remained in the same household as his daughter.
The judge has not identified the family involved, said where they live or named the Jehovah's Witness congregation.
She said social services bosses at Lancashire County Council had welfare responsibilities for the children and had begun litigation centred on their care.
Mrs Justice Lieven aired concerns on Tuesday after analysing issues relating to the care of the girl, who is now 12, and her brother, 10, at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.
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Hide AdThe girl had made abuse allegations to her mother, the judge said, and her mother had then told congregation elders.
She said Jehovah's Witnesses were told to report misconduct by a family member to the elders.
Mrs Justice Lieven said documents relating to a "judicial committee" meeting showed what congregation elders knew and when they knew it.
"The facts of this case raise very great concern about the safeguarding of children within the Jehovah's Witness community," the judge said in a written ruling on the latest stage of litigation centred on the children.
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Hide Ad"It is incontrovertible from these documents that the elders of the congregation knew about (the girl's) allegations since at least December 2016 - when (she) was aged nine.
"They did not report those allegations to the police until July 2019. "This was despite knowing that the alleged abuser, the father, remained living in the same household as (the girl).
The girl's mother had told Mrs Justice Lieven, in a witness statement: "As a Jehovah's Witness, we are told to report to the elders, any misconduct by a family member.
"This is why my first thoughts were to speak to the elders and seek their guidance and support.
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Hide Ad"The elders spoke to me, came into my house and had a meeting with me to clarify what had happened and what (my daughter) had said.
"They spoke to the father to confirm the report to him and advised that he would be removed from the congregation."
She added: "I wanted to go to the police but the message I felt I was receiving was that police involvement was not the appropriate thing to do.
"I fully accept that this was not was being said to me but this is what I was feeling."
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Hide AdShe went on: "The elders took disciplinary action with the father and advised me to change my work hours to ensure that I was home for the children when the father was home.
"I dropped my hours but I was still going out of the house leaving the father at home with the children.
"I believed that I had put in place protective measures.
"The father had been disciplined and he promised me that he would not do anything again. Our marriage did effectively come to an end at that stage and he remained only as a provider for the family."
Mrs Justice Lieven said the latest stage of litigation had focused on whether two elders should disclose information relating to the girl.
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Hide AdCouncil social services had been ordered, by another judge at an earlier stage of the litigation, to file statements from the two elders explaining how the girl's allegations had been investigated.
The two elders asked Mrs Justice Lieven to overturn that order.
They said they were under "a spiritual duty" not to disclose confidential religious communications and said that "if such confidence is breached", people might stop confiding in ministers.
Mrs Justice Lieven ruled against the two elders, saying there were "a whole series of reasons" why they should disclose information.