A Catholic bishop has appeared at the Old Bailey accused of raping a teenage girl during a series of alleged incidents linked to church settings.

David Oakley, 70, the Bishop of Northampton, is charged with two counts of rape and one count of indecent assault relating to allegations dating back to the early 2000s.

The complainant alleges she was 15 years old at the time of the offences, when Oakley was serving as a Catholic priest and was in his mid-40s.

Alleged attacks at presbytery and on canal boat

According to details heard during court proceedings, the woman alleges she was raped by Oakley inside a presbytery and on a canal boat.

She also alleges he kissed her during a pilgrimage to Lourdes in France, one of the world’s best-known Catholic pilgrimage destinations.

At an earlier hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Sarah Madden told the court that the pair had “started dating, after going on a pilgrimage to Lourdes”.

The court was also told that the complainant “recalls sex with the defendant on at least two occasions”.

The allegations have not been proven and will be determined through the criminal proceedings.

Bishop withdrawn from public ministry

Oakley was charged in June following an investigation by Staffordshire Police‘s rape and serious sexual offences team.

He was initially arrested in September 2025 and has since been withdrawn from public ministry.

Born in Stourbridge in the West Midlands, Oakley was ordained as a priest in 1980 and was appointed Bishop of Northampton in 2020.

Oakley appeared at the Old Bailey on Thursday, September 10, and remains on conditional bail.

His next hearing is scheduled for January 4 as the case continues.