June Spencer, star of The Archers, dies, aged 105

THE actor June Spencer, who played Peggy Archer, latterly Woolley, in the BBC radio serial The Archers from 1951 until her retirement in 2022, has died, aged 105. She was one of the original cast members, and was appointed OBE and then CBE in 2017 for services to drama and charity (News, 23 June 2017). In an interview with the Church Times in 2010 (Features, 31 December 2010), she said: “My voice is Peggy now. When she started, she had a slight Cockney accent, but gradually over the years, with the experiences she’s had, and the lifestyle, she’s me now.” Ms Spencer married Roger Brocksom in 1942, whom she had met on holiday when they were both aged 17. They adopted two children: a son, David, and a daughter, Ros. Mr Brocksom died from Alzheimer’s in 2001. She said in her Church Times interview: “I prayed every night particularly for patience to cope with the Alzheimer’s, and strength to cope with the stroke, when I had Roger. Nowadays, my prayer is mostly thanks.” A family statement said that she had died peacefully in her sleep in the early hours of last Friday.

Charity calls for definition of child criminal exploitation

THE law must “fully recognise” that children who are exploited by criminals are victims of coercion and manipulation, the chief executive of the Children’s Society, Mark Russell, has said. He was responding to the latest National Referral Mechanism and Duty to Notify statistics on modern slavery in the UK published by the Government last week. From July to September 2024, 1498 children were referred as suspected victims of exploitation, which, Mr Russell said, underscored “the shocking scale of this crisis. Disturbingly, referrals for county lines criminal exploitation alone have surged by 93 per cent compared to the same period last year, with hundreds of children drawn into a devastating cycle of abuse. We urgently need a statutory definition of child criminal exploitation, ensuring young people forced into crime are seen as victims who deserve protection, not prosecution.” He also called for a new offence “targeting those who coerce and control children for criminal gain”.

Canvey Island cleric banned from ministry

A FORMER Team Rector of Canvey Island, in Chelmsford diocese, Canon David Tudor, has been prohibited from ministry for life, and has been removed from his post, by the Bishop of Southwark’s Disciplinary Tribunal after a hearing on Monday 28 October and Tuesday 29 October, a statement from Chelmsford diocese has confirmed. He has been suspended since he was arrested in April 2019 on suspicion of indecent assault. A three-year investigation by Sussex Police concluded without charges being brought (News, 19 August 2022), at which time, two complaints against Mr Tudor were examined under the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM). The diocesan statement said that “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 admission relates to the time when he was a priest in the diocese of Southwark and includes serious sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old.” The Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, said: “I am deeply sorry for the profound hurt and harm David Tudor’s behaviour has caused and I welcome the Tribunal’s decision. . . It has taken enormous courage from those who came forward to report David Tudor’s abuse that led to a formal complaint” under the CDM.

Parishioner fined for harassing vicar over bells

A PARISHIONER of St Mary’s, Lydiard Park, in Wiltshire, Gary Bizley, 45, pleaded guilty at Swindon Magistrates Court last week to harassment without violence. In April, Mr Bizley began a four-month campaign of harassing the Vicar with complaints that the church bells were too loud, and had threatened to “do some damage to the church”, the court heard. This included leaving abusive voicemails for the Vicar. The magistrate told him: “People do get annoyed about things that happen close to them, and that’s fine, but you’ve gone too far.” The defending barrister, Richard Williams, said that the case was “a bit strange”, and that Mr Bizley suffered from mental-health troubles and insomnia. Mr Bizley was fined £80, and ordered to pay a £32 surcharge with £85 prosecution costs, totalling £197. The judge also issued Mr Bizley with a one-year restraining order. He will not be allowed back into St Mary’s during that time, to “give everyone a bit of breathing space”.