A FORMER police commander, Sue Williams, is carrying out a review of the handling of the David Tudor case, it was announced on Tuesday.
Mr Tudor was Team Rector of Canvey Island, in Chelmsford diocese, until he was suspended in 2019 while allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse were investigated by the police (News, 19 August 2022). No charges were brought, but he was subsequently prohibited from ministry for life under the Clergy Discipline Measure (News, 15 November 2024).
The Safeguarding Practice Review has been commissioned by the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team and the dioceses of Chelmsford and Southwark.
The review seeks to identify lessons that can be learnt from the handling of the case, and Ms Williams is expected to make recommendations for any improvements that can be made.
The terms of reference for the review have been agreed by an advisory group that includes safeguarding professionals and an independent panel member, and includes “input from victims and survivors”, a Church House spokesperson says.
A BBC investigation published in December revealed that, in 1989, Mr Tudor had been banned for ministry for five years for sexual misconduct, but returned to ministry in the diocese of Southwark in 1993 (News, 16 December 2024).
He was suspended again in 2005 while police investigated further allegations, but no charges ensued, and he returned to ministry. From 2008, he was subject to church safeguarding restrictions that prevented his being alone with children and entering schools in Essex.
The Archbishop of York faced calls to resign over the case, owing to his position as Bishop of Chelmsford during part of Mr Tudor’s tenure. Archbishop Cottrell defended his record, saying that there “were no legal grounds to take alternative action” before untried allegations had been brought, and that he had suspended Mr Tudor as soon as he was able to do so.
At the time of the BBC investigation, the Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, said that Archbishop Cottrell should have done more to remove Mr Tudor, even if it risked legal action against the diocese. She called on the Archbishop to resign, saying that it was “impossible” to have confidence in him to drive change in safeguarding.
In an interview with the Church Times in February, Archbishop Cottrell reiterated: “I couldn’t [do anything], and that is the truth. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me, but I have to say it was a deeply uncomfortable truth to live with” (News, 7 February).