A former Church of England bishop has been jailed for 32 months after he admitted abusing young men and misconduct in public office.

Peter Ball, 83, pleaded guilty to assaulting two young men and using his position to do the same to others whilst the Bishop of Lewes.

The Old Bailey heard that when police initially investigated in 1992 he escaped prosecution.

Prosecutor, Bobbie Cheema QC, said officers were sent letters in favour of the bishop by an unnamed member of the Royal family and MPs.

Premier's Antony Bushfield, who was in court, said Ball arrived needing help to walk and with two bags.

Bishop Peter Ball

The court heard how Ball used his position as a bishop to 'groom and exploit sensitive and vulnerable young men'.

Ms Cheema said: "He was highly regarded as a godly man who had a special affinity with young people.

"The truth was that he used those 15 years in the position of bishop to identify, groom and exploit sensitive and vulnerable young men who came within his orbit.

"For him, religion was a cloak behind which he hid in order to satisfy his sexual interest in those who trusted him."

He even, on occasion, suggested priests in training should take beatings as part of an initiation.

Ball's defence said there were 'grave and serious concerns' about how the Church handled allegations of abuse.

The former bishops sentence should not be used to make up for the failings of the Church, his lawyer Richard Smith QC told the court.

Mr Smith added that his offences were 'very much of his dark side'.

Sentencing today, Mr Justice Wilkie told the 83-year-old that he had misused his position to "persuade selected individuals to commit or submit to acts of physical or sexual debasement under the guise of being part of their austere regime of devotion when they were not".

The judge said: "What you did was the antithesis of what was expected of someone holding your office."

Ball will spend half the term in prison and the rest on licence, the judge said.

Following his sentence, Lord Carey, who was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time of the abuse, issued an apology but denied he had presided over a "cover-up".

He said: "I greatly regret the fact that, during my tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, we dealt inadequately with Peter Ball's victims and gave too much credence to his protestations.

"Allegations by some that my actions amounted to a cover-up or collusion with the abuser are wrong. I have always insisted upon the highest standards of holiness of life from all who are ordained.

"But it is undoubtedly the case that, in the years since the allegations came to light, the Church of England has needed to put into place much better procedures, as have all public institutions in society, to ensure that victims receive justice speedily and properly.

"In the past we failed many victims and allowed abusers to flourish in ministry. I hope that, as a result of all these changes, we are now a safer church for the young and the vulnerable."

Earlier this week, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, commissioned an independent report into how the Church dealt with the allegations against Ball.

However, a solicitor acting for four of the victims said the Church should no longer be allowed to "police itself" and the introduction of mandatory reporting was long overdue.

David Greenwood, of Switalskis Solicitors, added that legal action was now under way to sue the Diocese of Chichester.

In a statement the Church of England said Peter Ball's conduct was a "matter of deep shame and regret".

Paul Butler, lead Bishop on safeguarding said: "There are no excuses whatsoever for what took place and the systematic abuse of trust perpetrated by Peter Ball over decades.

"We apologise unreservedly to those survivors of Peter Ball's abuse and pay tribute to their bravery in coming forward and also the long wait for justice that they have endured.

"As the Police have noted Peter Ball systematically abused the trust of the victims, many of whom who were aspiring priests, whilst others were simply seeking to explore their spirituality.

"He also abused the trust placed in him by the Church and others, maintaining a campaign of innocence for decades until his final guilty plea only weeks ago.

"Since that plea was made processes in the Church have begun to initiate formal internal disciplinary procedures against Peter Ball.

"Since Peter Ball's guilty plea on 8th of September this year questions have been raised about the Church's handling of this case. As a result the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has commissioned an independent review of the way the Church responded.

"The independent review will examine the Church of England's cooperation with the police and other statutory agencies and the extent to which it shared information in a timely manner.

"It will also assess the extent to which the Church both properly assessed the possible risk that Bishop Ball might pose to others and responded adequately to concerns and representations submitted by survivors.

"The Church of England always takes any allegations of abuse very seriously and is committed to being a safe place for all.

"To this end we have robust procedures and policies in place. But we can never be complacent. Any survivors or those with information about church-related abuse must always feel free to come forward with confidence that safeguarding procedures will be followed."

Graham Sawyer is a survivor of the abuse and waived his right to lifelong anonymity to speak to Premier.

He said Ball had to be sent to prison: "I think it would have caused a scandal publically if he'd been given a suspended sentence.

"So justice has been done and principally been seen to be done."

But he said he had forgiven the former bishop: "As a Christian I must forgive. I must forgive from my heart in order that God may forgive me.

"I forgive Peter Ball from the heart, I bare him no ill will.

"It is so important though, what has happened today, in terms of natural and Christian justice."

Listen to Premier's Antony Bushfield speaking to Graham Sawyer outside the Old Bailey: