Bishop of Northampton charged with raping woman on canal boat and kissing her at Lourdes
David Oakley, 70, Bishop of Northampton, is charged with indecent assault and two counts of rape against a girl who was 15 at the time, in the early 2000s – charges he is seeking to have dismissed
David Oakley, the Bishop of Northampton, is making an application to dismiss the charges(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
The Bishop of Northampton, David Oakley, is attempting to have charges dismissed after he was accused of raping a teenage girl in a presbytery and kissing her during a pilgrimage to Lourdes, according to court proceedings.
Oakley, 70, faces charges of indecent assault and two counts of rape against the girl, who was 15 at the time, dating back to the early 2000s.
Court documents allege that Oakley, then in his mid-40s and serving as a Catholic priest, kissed her during the pilgrimage and raped her in a presbytery and on a canal boat. Oakley, currently on conditional bail, was due to enter pleas at the Old Bailey on Thursday.
Oakley is accused of kissing her during the pilgrimage and raping her in a presbytery and on a canal boat(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
However, the court was informed that an application to dismiss the charges will be heard on January 4.
Oakley was charged in June following an investigation by Staffordshire Police’s rape and serious sexual offences team.
Lourdes, located in south-west France, draws large numbers of pilgrims annually to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Lourdes draws large numbers of pilgrims annually to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
Born in Stourbridge in the West Midlands and ordained as a priest in 1980, Oakley took up the position of Bishop of Northampton in 2020.
He has since withdrawn from public ministry, having been first arrested by police in September 2025.
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