Gay man wins compensation for Church of England exorcism in Sheffield

Matthew Drapper, a 37-year-old former volunteer at St Thomas Philadelphia, a Church of England parish in Sheffield, received a five-figure compensation payout after undergoing an exorcism in 2014 aimed at turning him straight. During a church event, he was told he was under 'demonic possession' due to 'sexual impurity' and subjected to a prayer session by a married couple that sought to change his sexual identity, which left him deeply distressed and led to loss of faith. After leaving the church in 2016 and making a formal complaint in 2019, an investigation by the charity Barnardo's, commissioned by the Diocese of Sheffield, found the exorcism claim to be a 'supported fact' and deemed the practice a form of conversion therapy. The legal claim against the church concluded with an out-of-court settlement, marking what is believed to be the first compensation paid for harm caused by such exorcism or conversion practices. Legal experts hope this case will encourage churches to ban these homophobic practices entirely and demonstrate that religious organizations can be held accountable for harm towards LGBT+ individuals. The church initially denied evidence of the exorcism but later cooperated with the investigation after public scrutiny and the report's release.