Lawyers for an English bishop accused of raping a minor have asked the court to dismiss the case.
Bishop David Oakley of Northampton appeared in court at the Old Bailey in London on Sept. 10. The bishop had been expected to enter a plea in the case, in which he is charged with two counts of rape of a minor, as well as indecent assault charges. The bishop appeared in lay clothes and is not currently in ministry, although he remains bishop of the diocese.
Instead, the court heard that a new hearing would be held on January 4 next year to consider a motion to dismiss the case. No details about the motion’s argumentation were read in court.
The bishop is currently free on conditional bail, after having been arrested in June and charged with rape of a minor, a female, 15, on two occasions in February of 2000 and February of 2001. Oakley, who was serving as a priest at the time, allegedly kissed the girl on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, with the instances of alleged rape taking place in presbytery and a canal boat.
While charges were announced in June, Oakley, 70, was under investigation for months before that, and the bishop began a leave of absence in October 2025, which he and his diocese announced was taken for “personal reasons.”
At the time it was announced that Oakley was taking the “personal reasons” leave of absence, the bishop was considered a possible contender to become the Archbishop of Westminster and effectively the leader of the Catholic Church in the country.
Oakley was in ministry as a seminary rector before his 2020 appointment as a diocesan bishop. Sources close to the case have told The Pillar that the Archdiocese of Birmingham, where Oakley was incardinated, was first informed in 2006 of possible sexual misconduct on the priest’s part, and failed to notify law enforcement officials or initiate canonical proceedings.
Both the Birmingham archdiocese and a spokesman for Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who led the Birmingham archdiocese at that time, told The Pillar that because of the active criminal case against Oakley, they were unable to comment.
Oakley’s Northampton diocese, which serves around 180,000 Catholics in central England, is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Westminster in London.
Pope Leo named Archbishop Richard Moth as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Northampton June 30.
Leo XIV specified that Moth will remain apostolic administrator sede plena at the discretion of the Apostolic See, which means that Oakley retains the title of Bishop of Northampton as he undergoes criminal proceedings.
The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales explained June 30 that Moth’s appointment was “a temporary role, by which the Holy See ensures that the pastoral governance of a diocese will continue, when it is not possible for a diocesan Bishop to exercise his office.”
“Therefore, the governance of the Diocese of Northampton is now canonically entrusted to Archbishop Moth,” it said.
The diocese added that while Oakley’s prosecution and trial would be “very distressing for all concerned” the diocese “cannot comment further on an active legal process.”
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Oakley’s departure last year was one one of several unexplained cases involving bishops and episcopal appointments in England and Wales which raised questions about unannounced allegations and the vetting of candidates.
In December 2022, Bishop Robert Byrne of Hexham and Newcastle resigned abruptly, saying “the office of the diocesan bishop has become too great a burden.”
The review raised concerns about what is described as Byrne’s inappropriate friendship with a cleric who was a registered sex offender, and his decision to appoint as dean of the diocesan cathedral Canon Michael McCoy, who was accused of inappropriate interactions and grooming behavior with teenage boys.
In February 2025, never having formally taken possession of the diocese, Moger announced that “just before I was to begin my ministry in Plymouth, I let it be known that concerns of a personal nature had been raised, to which I had to attend immediately. This has taken longer than I anticipated.”
“All things considered,” the bishop said, “I have come to the decision to present to the Holy Father a request to step down from my appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Plymouth. The Holy Father has accepted my request. For the immediate future, I will be taking a sabbatical: a time of prayer and personal reflection, the next stage on the journey of my ministry.”
Official Church records refer to Moger as “emeritus Bishop of Plymouth,” and no further details have been given.