Barbadian Canon Revd David Tudor, Rector of Canvey Island in the Diocese of Chelmsford, has been prohibited from ministry for life and removed from his post as Rector by the Bishop of Southwark’s Disciplinary Tribunal, a body responsible for adjudicating on disciplinary matters within the Church, following a hearing on Monday, 28th October and Tuesday, 29th October.
David Tudor, who was team rector for the Parish of Canvey in Essex, had been suspended for the last five years but was banned for life by the Church of England Bishops Disciplinary Tribunal in October.
At least seven women have said that Tudor abused them. One received six-figure compensation from the Church in 2019. David McClenaghan, a partner at Bolt Burdon Kemp solicitors who brought the claim on behalf of the woman and who has supported other survivors of clerical abuse, says, “One of the most surprising aspects of this case was that they suspended him on full pay and over a period of time, funded his accommodation and lifestyle.”
Revd Tudor worked for the Church of England for over 46 years in London, Surrey, and Essex, rising from curate to honorary canon. He gained a reputation for filling churches with his charismatic preaching and was well known in the Barbadian Community, especially during Independence Services across the UK. He was the recipient of a 2016 Jubilee award.
Tudor was part of Springer Memorial School’s 60th-anniversary gala, held in October at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill under the big tent, he being the son of its first principal, the late Pamela Tudor, and the late Canon Harold Tudor.
The prohibition followed a complete admission of guilt to disclosures of serious sexual abuse that were brought as a disciplinary complaint. These allegations relate to the time when he was a priest in the Diocese of Southwark and include serious sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old.
The panel heard he formed sexual relationships with two girls – including one under the age of 16 – between 1982 and 1989. These allegations were made while David Tudor was chaplain at St Bede’s School in Redhill, Surrey. He later became curate of St Philip’s Church in Reigate. In a separate case, Tudor admitted having sex with a girl but insisted she was sixteen.
A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “The case against a 66-year-old man from Canvey, who was arrested in April 2019 on suspicion of indecent assault, has now been closed. He was arrested after we received a report of historic offences alleged to have taken place in Redhill in 1983.”
Until the Bishop of Chelmsford suspended him in April 2019, Tudor was based at St Nicholas Church in the Anglican Parish Church of Canvey Island, where he was appointed Rector of Canvey in 2006. In 2008, he was appointed area Dean of Hadleigh.
The Tribunal examined two complaints under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 against David Tudor, and the penalty imposed followed a recent, full admission of guilt to disclosures of serious sexual abuse that were brought as a disciplinary complaint by two complainants.
The Tribunal heard how the former vicar tried to keep the relationship with X – which started when she was 15 – a secret, demanding she destroy her diaries.
The Tribunal determined, externally, that Mr Tudor’s behaviour – which occurred when he was a priest in the Diocese of Southwark – was “an abuse of trust” which amounted to “grooming”.
This case has captured the headlines, and The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, is facing calls to resign over his handling of the case. This is particularly significant as he is due to take temporary charge of the Church of England in the coming days.
As Bishop of Chelmsford, Mr Cottrell let priest David Tudor remain in post in the diocese despite knowing he had been barred by the Church from being alone with children and had paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim, a BBC investigation reveals.
A spokesperson for Mr Cottrell said he had been in an “invidious situation” and did not have the legal power to sack the priest. Tudor was only banned from ministry two months ago – after he admitted to historical sex abuse allegations relating to two girls.
Following David Tudor’s five-year suspension from ministry in 1988, the process at that time did not prevent him from returning to ministry in the Diocese of Southwark in 1994. Changes to how safeguarding is managed and scrutinised would mean the decision taken in 1988 would not take place now.
“The appalling abuse committed by former Church of England rector David Tudor, highlighted in today’s BBC File on Four documentaries, is a grievous breach of trust. We commend the courage of those survivors who came forward, fully aware of the re-traumatising effects this has had on their lives. “
The current Bishops of Chelmsford and Southwark have acknowledged the hurt and harm caused by the offences of David Tudor.
They have also announced that an independent Safeguarding Practice Review will now take place to ensure lessons are learnt from this case.
The calls for Archbishop Cottrell to resign come at a time of turmoil in the Church of England following a damning report into how it covered up prolific abuse by the barrister John Smyth. A report led to the resignation of the Church’s most senior figure, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Mr Cottrell will take over his role temporarily for a few months in the New Year. The BBC also revealed that Mr Welby and a former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, were also involved in the Tudor case – Mr Welby in 2018 and Lord Carey in
