A ROYAL Navy frigate commander who agreed to let a member of his crew practise Satanism on board the ship yesterday won the full support of the Ministry of Defence.

Captain Russell Best, commanding officer of HMS Cumberland, a Type 22 frigate, officially recognised Leading Hand Chris Cranmer, 24, as a Devil-worshipping member of his complement after full consultation with the ship’s chaplain, the MoD said.

It is the first instance of its kind in the history of the Royal Navy. The naval technician, who has recently returned with his ship from a tour of duty in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean, has been allowed to perform Satanic rituals and other acts that conform to the creed of Satanism.

The MoD said that Captain Best was entirely within his rights to concede to his request to be registered as a Satanist. “There is nothing in the Queen’s Regulations that forbids practising Satanism and people are entitled to their own religious beliefs,” it said.

The unmarried naval technician, 24, from Edinburgh, said that being a Satanist gave him “the freedom of religion I wanted. despite its controversial nature.

“I didn’t want to feel I couldn’t get out my Satanic Bible and relax in bed. I didn’t want to bite my tongue any more when dealing with idiots,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.

The MoD said that it was an equal opportunities employer and, provided that the Satanism practised on board HMS Cumberland did not “impinge on the operational effectiveness of the crew or its morale in any way”, there was no reason why Captain Best should not have agreed to the request by Leading Hand Cranmer.

However, Ann Widdecombe, the former Tory minister, said that the decision was “utterly shocking”. “Satanism is wrong,” she said. “Obviously, the private beliefs of individuals anywhere, including the Armed Forces, are their own affair, but I hope it doesn’t spread. God himself gives free will, but I would like to think that if somebody applied to the Navy and said he was a Satanist today it would raise eyebrows somewhat.”

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