Bishop David Oakley of Northampton appeared in court on Thursday, his first appearance since being charged in June with two counts of rape involving a girl under the age of 16.
Oakley, who withdrew from public ministry in 2025 after police received a report alleging sexual misconduct, appeared via video conference. Oakley was arrested in September 2025.
Additional details of the accusation were given on Thursday by prosecutor Sarah Madden. The alleged incidents happened following a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, in the early 2000s, when the accuser was 15 years old. Oakley would have been in his mid-40s.
