Clergy discipline, former clergy and parochial fees – II

Further consideration of Hawthorne by the secular courts

In 2015 we posted Clergy discipline, former clergy and parochial fees – I which reviewed two related issues: new CofE Guidance on the payment and receipt of parochial fees by the clergy; and a Clergy Discipline Tribunal determination which concerned the retention of such fees by a former clergyman, the Revd Dr Andrew Hawthorne. Four years later, events have moved on, and after a trial in May, the Winchester Crown Court found Dr Hawthorne guilty of fraud by abuse of position and fraud by false representation. Continue reading