UK church pays damages after gay man subjected to an exorcism

In 2025, Matthew Drapper received a five-figure settlement after legal action over an exorcism conducted at St Thomas Philadelphia church in Sheffield in 2014. Drapper said the prayer session was intended to remove what church members described as demonic influence connected to his sexuality.

An independent review later characterised the session as an exorcism, and the church apologised for failures in its care. The settlement was widely reported as a significant UK case involving conversion practices in a church setting.

This page is a concise restored archive summary. It is not a verbatim copy of the original article.