First British person paid damages by church for exorcism of ‘gay demons’

ITV News UK Editor Paul Brand spoke to Matthew Drapper who was put through conversion therapy and received a five-figure compensation from the church.

A man has been paid compensation for an exorcism which attempted to rid him of ‘gay demons’ in what is believed to be the first legal settlement of its kind in the UK.

Speaking on camera for the first time, Matthew Drapper told ITV News he was led to believe demons had left his mouth during the intense prayer session at St Thomas Philadelphia Church in Sheffield in 2014.

“They said that one of the reactions you’ll have is that when people are praying for you to get rid of the demonic influence, you’ll want to stop. And that’s a sign that you should carry on and that you should push through. And they said you might have a physical reaction”, he said describing the prayer session.

Mr Drapper was told to ‘push out’ his homosexuality from his body during the intense prayer session at St Thomas Philadelphia Church in Sheffield

Following an independent report by Barnardos in 2023 which upheld complaints by Mr Drapper, St Thomas Philadelphia, which is a joint Church of England-Baptist church, has now paid him a five-figure sum in compensation for the harm caused by the exorcism.

Since ITV News first investigated conversion practices in 2018, successive governments have promised to ban them.

But despite repeated pledges no law has yet been brought forward.

ITV News has been told the Labour government still has no timeframe for outlining a bill to ban conversion therapy, after committing to one in both its 2024 manifesto and last year’s King’s Speech.

ITV News also understands the Prime Minister recommitting to a ban at a reception in No10 to celebrate Pride, but no details were given.

Campaigners for a ban hope Mr Drapper’s case will act as another form of deterrent, with the potential for many more legal cases to be brought against churches which practice conversion therapy.

Richard Scorer, who represented Mr Drapper, told ITV News that the win would “lay down a marker that if people are harmed as a result of practises like this, then there is the potential to take action and seek accountability for that”.

ITV News spoke to Richard Scorer who believes there will be many more legal cases

ITV News understands that a bill drafted by civil servants and the Equalities Minister Dame Nia Griffith has reached No10 for consideration, but hasn’t progressed any further.

It is understood that sticking points remain around religious freedoms, the question of whether someone can ‘consent’ to conversion therapy, as well as what role parents should be allowed to play in the case of children who may be questioning their sexuality or gender identity.

It is also understood the government is carefully considering the recent Supreme Court judgement on the definition of a woman before proceeding with a ban, as well as requesting more evidence of current conversion practices.

Speaking on Thursday, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds insisted the Government would sill deliver a ban.

He said. “It’s still something the government’s committed to. I’m not aware of the schedule around that.

“But it’s something we’ve been absolutely clear on and we’ll take the action we promised them.”

A Government spokesperson from the Cabinet office told ITV News: “Conversion practices are abuse – such acts have no place in society and must be stopped.

“We committed to bringing forward legislation to finally ban conversion practices, as one of our legislative priorities set out in the King’s Speech.”

Much of this frustrates campaigners, who argue these points have already been considered at length by previous governments, causing unnecessary delay.

But those who oppose a full-scale ban on a variety of grounds believe a ban could have unintended consequences, such as stifling freedom of religion or preventing constructive conversations about gender identity with parents and teachers.

The Church of St Thomas Philadelphia responded to ITV News several days after publication of our report to claim that compensation was paid only in response to the way Matthew Drapper’s case was handled and not in response to any reported harm from the prayer session. Mr Drapper’s lawyer disputes this. The Church says that it does not practice or support conversion therapy.