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A survivor of sexual abuse by a Church of England priest has expressed outrage over the decision not to conduct a disciplinary hearing concerning the Archbishop of York’s management of the abuser. The controversy centers around Stephen Cottrell, who, during his tenure as Bishop of Chelmsford, allowed David Tudor to continue serving as a vicar for nine years despite being aware of Tudor’s history of sexual misconduct. This was uncovered in a 2024 BBC investigation.
On Thursday, the Church’s president of tribunals, a legal figure responsible for adjudicating internal disciplinary cases, ruled that Cottrell lacked the authority to remove or suspend Tudor from his ministry. This ruling has been met with criticism, including from one of Tudor’s victims, who warned that it “sends a deeply troubling message about accountability” at the highest levels of the Church. Tudor’s abusive conduct dates back to the 1980s and includes convictions and allegations spanning decades. In 1988, he was convicted of indecently assaulting three girls but was released after his conviction was overturned on technicalities. Earlier, he had been acquitted of assaulting a 15-year-old but admitted to a sexual relationship with her at age 16.
Despite being banned by a Church tribunal for sexual misconduct in 1989, Tudor was reinstated five years later and eventually became an area dean overseeing 12 parishes in Essex. When Cottrell assumed his role as Bishop of Chelmsford in 2010, he was informed about safeguarding concerns regarding Tudor, who by then was restricted from being alone with children or entering schools. Still, Tudor received an honorary title within the cathedral in 2015. Cottrell has admitted that the situation was “horrible and intolerable,” yet subsequent reporting revealed that he had publicly praised Tudor, calling him a “Rolls Royce” priest.
The disciplinary ruling noted that although Cottrell did not have the power to remove Tudor, the most serious issue was Cottrell’s decision to renew Tudor’s contract as area dean in 2013 and again in 2018, despite reservations. Tudor was given an additional two-year term in 2018 after Cottrell was told no suitable replacement was available. Cottrell has since acknowledged that this was a mistake and failed to consider the harm caused to Tudor’s victims. The tribunal president also accepted that Tudor’s risk was being monitored but decided no further investigation was necessary. One survivor, identified only as Debbie, who experienced abuse by Tudor in her early teens, described the ruling as “appalling,” emphasizing that senior leaders must be held accountable rather than being excused.
David Tudor was only suspended in 2019 when a police probe was launched after another woman reported abuse from the 1980s. He was finally banned from ministry in October 2024 after admitting to historical sex abuse allegations involving two girls. A Church tribunal also upheld a complaint last November, confirming Tudor sexually abused a 15-year-old girl in the 1980s. The Church’s ruling highlighted that Stephen Cottrell welcomed the chance to address these significant concerns and offered apologies for prior “oversights and mistakes.” Notably, the statement revealed that Dame Sarah Mullally, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, was involved in deciding whether to take the complaint about Cottrell to a disciplinary tribunal. In her capacity as Bishop of London last year, Mullally dismissed the complaint based on legal advice, a decision later deemed “plainly wrong” by the Church’s president of tribunals, who insisted the case should have been properly investigated.
Critics have frequently pointed out the problematic nature of bishops adjudicating safeguarding complaints involving their peers. This issue was further highlighted earlier in June when Cottrell decided there was no case to answer regarding a complaint about Dame Sarah Mullally’s handling of abuse allegations in the London Diocese. The ongoing scrutiny reflects persistent challenges within the Church of England concerning safeguarding and accountability at its highest levels
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