A 70-year-old Catholic bishop has been charged with two counts of rape involving a girl under the age of 16. David James Oakley, the Bishop of Northampton, was arrested in September 2025 after an allegation was reported to Staffordshire Police.
Following an investigation by the force’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, he has now been charged. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in Staffordshire between February 2000 and February 2001.
Oakley is scheduled to appear at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 14 August.In a statement, the Catholic Diocese of Northampton said the charges followed an investigation into “non-recent safeguarding allegations. “The statement added: “We understand that this will be very distressing for all concerned but cannot comment further on an active legal process.
“If you have any safeguarding concerns please contact either our diocesan safeguarding team or the police directly. “According to the Diocese, Oakley became the 13th Bishop of Northampton in 2020. He was ordained as a priest in 1980 and served in several parishes within the Archdiocese of Birmingham before his appointment.
Oakley had previously been considered a potential candidate to lead the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The criminal proceedings are ongoing, and no findings of guilt have been made.
As with any defendant, Oakley is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
