Scandalous, Immoral and Improper
The Trial of Helen Percy

Scandalous, Immoral and Improper: The Trial of Helen Percy by Helen Percy (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781906134747)

'Helen Percy is a gifted writer whose literary skills make her story all the more shocking. A portrait of power wielded with medieval cruelty, this is a shaming indictment of those in the Kirk who should have known better and behaved better. But while this is a memoir of abuse, both domestic and institutional, Percy's unquenchable spirit and eloquent prose make it sing with hope as well as fury.' Rosemary Goring, Literary Editor, The Herald and Sunday Herald

'More complex, more shocking, more fascinating by far than the story the church and media made up. The truth usually is.' Catherine Deveney, Scotland on Sunday

'... an astonishing story and told without self-pity and even with a glimmer of humour. Remarkable.' Brian Morton

'Since the Biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, the matter of an attractive woman being bullied by a cabal of male religious leaders is one of the most persistent themes throughout history. Helen Percy's book is a modern version of an old song. Read it and weep.' Richard Holloway

'This is a tale of flawed humanity - of people in positions of authority denying their own ignorance and insecurities; of ecclesiastical and legal systems determined to dispose of a problem rather than address a complex issue with compassion and understanding. Helen Percy endures trial by tabloid and the brutality of church legalism and sexism to tell her story: a story from which she emerges as a woman of courage and dignity.' Revd Peter Macdonald, Leader, The Iona Community

In 1995 Helen Percy, a young Church of Scotland minister in an outwardly idyllic rural parish was raped by one of her congregation. But instead of the rapist being put on trial, she was – by fellow Church members, ministers, the media and powerful forces in the Church itself. Everything was done to portray her not as a victim but as a willing participant in an affair that never happened. She was accused of 'scandalous, immoral, and improper' behaviour.

Scandalous Immoral and Improper is her revealing, remarkable and candid story out of the horror of institutional pressure. If only she could admit culpability where none existed. If only she would agree to turn her back on her house and the spiritual and pastoral work that she felt so committed to. If only she would suffer and conform in silence!

With the willing cooperation and collusion of much of the public press and media, this is a real life story of how the victim was hounded into submission. But through an exploitative and almost banally abusive episode of rape and her later treatment, she was able to find strength first in facing her own pain, then in the significant support of others.

Scandalous Immoral and Improper is a beautifully and powerfully written testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It is a burning indictment of conservative forces in Scotland's national Church and among popularly held attitudes. It is a book that shakes to the core our sense of ourselves as compassionate beings.