Catholic Bishop of Northampton, Bishop David Oakley, has been charged with two counts of rape involving a girl under the age of 16, Staffordshire Police have announced.
Police said Bishop David James Oakley, 70, of Desborough, Northamptonshire, was charged following an investigation by the force’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team. The charges follow his arrest in September 2025 after an allegation was reported to police.
Oakley is due to appear before Cannock Magistrates’ Court on August 14.
In a statement, the Diocese of Northampton confirmed that the charges arose from an investigation into “non-recent safeguarding allegations”. The diocese said: “We understand that this will be very distressing for all concerned but cannot comment further on an active legal process.”
Staffordshire Police said in a statement: “A man has been charged following an investigation by our Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team.
“Bishop David James Oakley, 70, who is white British, of Desborough, Kettering, has been charged with two counts of rape a female under 16.
“It follows his arrest in September 2025 following an allegation made to police. Oakley is due to appear at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 14 August.”
Oakley, who was born in Stourbridge in the West Midlands, was ordained in 1980 and previously served in several parishes within the Archdiocese of Birmingham before being appointed as the 13th Bishop of Northampton by Pope Francis in 2020.
The bishop remains withdrawn from public ministry.
In October 2025, the Diocese of Northampton announced that Bishop David had taken “an indefinite leave of absence from his duties, citing personal reasons.”