Michael Ingram

Michael Ingram, a Catholic priest and child psychologist, carried out an important study of a sample of 92 sexual contacts between men and boys. He was also briefly embroiled in controversies involving PIE in 1977.

Views about pedophilia

While he did not defend pedophilia per se, Ingram believed, on the basis of his experience and empirical studies, that children could benefit from the physical affection often shown in these relationships. He also believed that if and when they came to light, the processes of investigation and interrogation could often be more damaging to the child than the sexual contact itself.

Involvement in PIE controversy

1977 was the year that the British public became aware of PIE through several reports in national papers. While these were mostly hostile, a few were more balanced and these included discussions of the views of Michael Ingram as briefly outlined above. In September of that year, PIE held a public meeting at Conway Hall, London.