Former West Midlands school chaplain Edward Phillip-Smith, known as 'Father Eddie', has avoided jail for historic sex offences against boys, prompting an angry response from the public. The 76-year-old, who is dying of terminal cancer with less than two years to live, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court but will not serve additional prison time.
Court Details and Victims' Accounts
Phillip-Smith, a former teacher and chaplain at St Peter's Collegiate School in Wolverhampton, assaulted schoolboys in the 1970s and 1980s. He had previously been jailed for 32 months at Oxford Crown Court in January 2024 for similar offences and was released in 2025. Publicity from that case led two further victims to come forward, prosecutor Andrew Wallace told the court.
Both victims were under 14 at the time of the assaults. The first victim recalled visiting Phillip-Smith's flat in Wolverhampton, where the defendant was considered a 'cool and trendy teacher'. After playing with a Scalextric set, Phillip-Smith became 'irritated' and said 'he had something else to show' the boy. He then undressed the victim, assaulted him, and made him perform a sex act, followed by an incident in the bathroom.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the man said he has 'struggled' with relationships throughout his adult life, feeling 'vulnerable' and 'paranoid', and experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and 'dark dreams'. As a 'person of faith', he found it difficult to 'reconcile Christian values' due to Phillip-Smith's 'selfish and repulsive crimes', leaving him in 'silent pain'.
The second victim met Phillip-Smith through his family's local church. The defendant assaulted the boy and made him perform a sex act at his home in Brewood, South Staffordshire.
Public Outrage on Social Media
The decision not to jail Phillip-Smith sparked fury on the BirminghamLive Facebook page. Caroline Hadley said: 'He forfeited the right to sympathy where was his when he abused children. Should have locked him up anyway.' Stuart McCullagh commented: 'UK justice system in a nutshell!' Carol Rowley added: 'No justice for those kids though, thats a tough pill to swallow after putting themselves through reporting it. I despair at this country.' Nzé Lé Pat wrote: 'Can’t believe what I am reading.'
Background and Previous Convictions
Phillip-Smith was a teacher and chaplain at St Peter's Collegiate School in Wolverhampton. He admitted two counts of inciting a boy under 14 to commit an act of gross indecency and one count of indecent assault on a boy under 14. The court heard that his terminal cancer diagnosis means he has less than two years to live, leading to the decision not to impose further jail time.
