A VICAR suspended from his post for five years has been struck off for life following a Church of England investigation into historic “sexual abuse” allegations.

The Rev Canon David Tudor, who was team rector for the Parish of Canvey, was arrested in April 2019 as police investigated allegations of indecent assault.

But in August 2022, police dropped the case - and confirmed he would face no charges.

Despite this, Mr Tudor remained suspended as an investigation into the historic allegations was launched by the Diocese of Chelmsford and a formal Church of England tribunal was held on Monday which handed down the “prohibition for life” and the penalty of “removal from office”.

Mr Tudor faced the allegation that between 1982 and 1989 he formed relationships with girls, named only as X and Y to protect their anonymity, who at the time the relationships began were children.

In the tribunal outcome, published on the Church of England website, Mr Tudor was accused of engaging in sexual acts with both X and Y and failing to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.

During the tribunal, Mr Tudor accepted that he engaged in sexual acts with Y when she was 16 and 17 though he “has no recollection”.

Mr Tudor considered that the type of sexual acts recorded by X when she was aged 16 and he 27 may be mistaken.

Despite this, he did not challenge X’s account of what took place, “all of which was inappropriate given his office and work”.

In the report from the tribunal, Mr Tudor’s behaviour towards X and Y is described as being “properly characterised as sexual abuse”, which were “not isolated incidents”.

The tribunal report claimed “each of the complainants were the subject of behaviour that could properly be classed as grooming behaviour” and further claims that Mr Tudor “recognised that what he was doing was wrong”. Regarding X, “he told her to keep the relationship a secret”, the tribunal outcome said.

During the hearing, the tribunal accepted that the “abuse” had a “lasting effect” and furthermore that “the conduct amounted to an abuse because of the abuse of trust, the disparity in age and the nature and duration of the conduct”.

The incidents heard, before tribunal, did not take place on Canvey or in the diocese of Chelmsford.

Mr Tudor offers both X and Y a full apology.

The tribunal report said in January 1988, Mr Tudor was acquitted in relation to an allegation of indecent assault upon a girl, referred to as Z, and in February 1988 was convicted of indecent assault in relation to three people, none of whom are involved in the current case.

He served six months in prison and in July 1988, those convictions were quashed by the court of appeal. In November 1988, proceedings were brought against Mr Tudor in respect of accepted misconduct relation to Z, on the basis of sex when she was 16.

The tribunal outcome said: “Because the convictions were quashed, we do not treat them as an aggravating feature in the current case. We only refer to them because it is submitted on behalf of the respondent, as we will return to later, that the experience of custody forms part of the rehabilitation undergone by the respondent (Mr Tudor).”