Barbadian Priest in England Removed and Banned for Lifetime Ministry Abuses

A Barbadian priest in England has been removed as rector and banned from ministry for life after admitting to sexually abusing a number of women.

Reverend David Tudor, former rector of Canvey Island in the Diocese of Chelmsford, Essex, was sacked by the Bishop of Southwark’s Disciplinary Tribunal, following a hearing on October 28 and 29.

Tudor, who was team rector for the Parish of Canvey in Essex, had been suspended for the last five years.

At least seven women have said that he abused them, with one receiving six-figure compensation from the church in 2019.

David McClenaghan, a partner at Bolt Burdon Kemp solicitors who brought the claim on behalf

of the woman and who has supported other survivors of clerical abuse, said: “One of the most surprising aspects of this case was that they suspended him on full pay and over a period of time, funded his accommodation and lifestyle.”

Tudor worked for the Church of England for over 46 years in London, Surrey and Essex, rising from curate to honorary canon. He gained a reputation for filling churches with his charismatic preaching and was well known in the Barbadian community, especially during Independence services across the United Kingdom. He was the recipient of a 2016 Jubilee Award.

Tudor was part of Springer Memorial School’s 60th anniversary gala, held in October at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill under the big tent, he being the son of its first principal the late Pamela Tudor, and the late Canon Harold Tudor.

The prohibition followed a complete admission of guilt to disclosures of serious sexual abuse that were brought as a disciplinary complaint. These allegations related to the time when he was a priest in the Diocese of Southwark and include serious sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old.

The BBC reported that the panel heard he formed sexual relationships with the two girls, identified as X and Y, between 1982 and 1989, while chaplain at St Bede’s School in Redhill, Surrey. He later became curate of St Philip’s Church in Reigate. In a separate case, Tudor admitted having sex with a girl but insisted she was 16.

The tribunal heard how the former vicar tried to keep the relationship with ‘X’ – which started when she was 15 – a secret, demanding she destroy her diaries.

Tudor said he had no recollection of the incidents with the two girls but accepted that sexual acts took place between himself and Y, and did not challenge X’s account of what happened. He offered a full apology