It was not until the summer of 2013 that the British police were alerted for the first time.

One of his victims had sought advice from the Bishop of Ely’s safeguarding adviser. Some details have been passed to Cambridgeshire Police about the case and that of another alleged victim.

According to the Makin review, the safeguarding adviser told the officers there was nothing they could do: Smyth’s actions were “a breach of trust” but “would be unlikely to rise to the threshold for a criminal investigation”.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police told the BBC: “With the limited information available at the time and the victims not wishing to make a complaint, it was not possible for us to proceed with an investigation.”

The Diocese of Ely was advised to contact police in Hampshire, where most of the alleged offenses took place, and was told that Cambridgeshire police had sent an intelligence report to colleagues in Hampshire, although Makin’s review found no record.

Hampshire Police told the BBC they first received a report of abuse in October 2014.

They were given a summary of the abuse allegations by a representative of the Titus Trust – the charity that followed the one that runs the summer camps where the abuse took place.

But police did not know the identity of the alleged victims. A spokesman for Hampshire Police told the BBC they had asked for details but “the third party refused to provide them, saying the victims would contact the police”.

They didn’t, and it’s not clear why not.

This was “a critical and important missed opportunity”, according to victims who spoke at the Makin review.

“The matter has been tabled pending any new information that comes to light,” a spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary told the BBC.