A victim of sexual abuse by a Church of England priest has said she is “disgusted and appalled” by a decision not to hold a disciplinary hearing into the Archbishop of York’s handling of her abuser.
In 2024, a BBC investigation revealed that as the Bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell had allowed David Tudor to remain in post as a vicar under him for nine years, despite knowing about his history of sexual misconduct.
On Thursday, the president of tribunals, a Church-appointed lawyer who rules on internal disciplinary matters, decided that Cottrell “had no power to remove or suspend David Tudor from ministry”.
One of Tudor’s victims says the decision “sends a deeply troubling message about accountability” at the top of the Church.
Allegations against David Tudor stretched across numerous decades from the 1980s onwards.
