Archbishop of York ‘regrets’ priest role over abuse scandal renewed twice

A Church of England priest at the center of a sex abuse scandal was twice reassigned to a senior role as Bishop of Chelmsford while Archbishop of York, the BBC can reveal.

A First revelation in BBC investigation How David Tudor remained in office for nine years after Stephen Cottrell was first told of concerns about him.

New information shows that Tudor’s contract as area dean at Essex was renewed in 2013 and 2018, at which time Mr Cottrell was aware that he had paid compensation to a woman who he says was molested as a child. She was abused in.

The Archbishop of York said he regretted the way he handled the case, with a spokesman saying, “He accepts that it could have been handled differently”.

He said that “all risks surrounding David Tudor were regularly reviewed” and that this was the “key focus”.

Rachel Ford, who told the inquiry she was groomed by Tudor as a child, said the renewal of his contract as area dean was “an insult to all his victims”.

Ms Ford said that if it was Mr Cottrell’s responsibility, it reinforced her feeling that he should resign.

The pressure on Mr Cottrell comes as the Church of England is in turmoil following a searing report into how it covered up widespread abuse by barrister John Smith.

The report led to the resignation of the church’s most senior figure, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Mr Cottrell will take up his role temporarily for a few months in the new year.

A BBC investigation revealed that Mr Cottrell was briefed about serious security issues surrounding the Tudors in his first week as Bishop of Chelmsford.

These included Tudor being convicted of indecently assaulting three underage girls and jailed for six months in 1988, although the conviction was quashed on a technicality. Mr Cottrell may also be aware that Tudor faced a five-year ban from the ministry.

By 2012, Mr Cottrell was also aware that Tudor had paid £10,000 to a woman who says she was sexually abused from the age of 11. In 2018, the Church of England issued an apology and paid a six-figure settlement. Another alleged victim.

Yet the priest was suspended in 2019 when a police investigation was launched after another woman came forward to accuse Tudor of abusing her in the 1980s.

When reacting for the first time to the BBC investigation, the Archbishop of York said he was “deeply sorry that we were not able to take action sooner”, insisting that he had taken action at the first opportunity that legally required him to. Was available.

Mr Cottrell also said he had been left with a “horrible and unbearable” situation and it was “horrible” to live with and manage.

When Mr Cottrell became bishop in 2010, Tudor was in the second year of a five-year term as an area dean, in the role overseeing 12 parishes in Essex.

His appointment to that position came despite working under a different bishop, under a protection agreement that prohibited him from being alone with children and from entering schools.

The title was renewed twice under Mr Cottrell – in 2013 and 2018 – and he only lost the title when the term of office ended in 2020. It was not taken from them.

A spokesman for the Archbishop said he “accepts the responsibility for David Tudor to remain as Area Dean”.

The archbishop’s office said, “No one advised him that David Tudor should not continue as Area Dean.”

Another Tudor victim, who did not want to be identified, said she was “shocked and disappointed” to hear her tenure as area dean had been renewed twice during Mr Cottrell’s time as Bishop of Chelmsford. ” Was.

She says, “These are not the actions of a bishop handling a situation that was intolerable to him, in fact, quite the contrary. I call on him to do the honorable thing for the Church and resign.”

In 2015, under Mr Cottrell, Tudor was also made an honorary canon of Chelmsford Cathedral.

The Archbishop’s Office insisted this was due to a change in church policy during Mr Cottrell’s time as Bishop of Chelmsford, meaning area deans were automatically made honorary canons.

It was “no promotion or personal award”.

However, a social media post from the Canvey Island parish of Tudor in July 2015 suggests that it was seen as a reward there.

It said Tudor’s “hard work, determination and commitment to this position has been recognized by the diocese and this new position in the church is very much deserved.”

The BBC has also seen evidence – in leaked minutes of internal church meetings in 2018 and 2019 – that Tudor’s titles of area dean and honorary canon were discussed and there was a suggestion that Mr Cottrell could have withdrawn them immediately.

In October 2018, a meeting at Church House – the London headquarters of the Church of England – heard that the Chelmsford Diocese put forward the view that if Tudor “can be a parish priest, he can take on other roles”.

A bishop from another diocese said, “The Bishop of Chelmsford could remove DT (David Tudor)’s Canon and Area Dean titles outright”.

But in a follow-up discussion in November 2018, the Chelmsford Diocese advised that this would not be appropriate because of “the difficulty of removing those titles without giving reason”.

We asked Mr Cottrell’s office why he did not follow the suggestion to remove the Tudor titles. We were told that “it would not be appropriate to comment on any notes or decisions of the Core Group process which are confidential”.

The investigation also highlighted the important role played by former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey in the case.

We revealed that Lord Carey had agreed to Tudor’s return to the priesthood after being suspended in 1989, and also agreed to remove Tudor’s name from the list of clergy facing disciplinary action. He also advocated for the priest.

After the BBC reported this information to the former Archbishop of Canterbury, he wrote to resign “permission to act”, ending more than 65 years of ministry in the Church of England. Lord Carey made this announcement on Tuesday.

In October 2024, Tudor admitted sexual misconduct and was defrocked by the church. He did not respond at any time to attempts by the BBC to speak to him.