Clergywoman steps in after pervert rector jailed

ONE of Britain’s first female clergy has been brought in to “heal the wounds” left by pervert rector Adrian Fereday.Canon Judith Trickett, currently vicar at St Cuthbert’s Church, Herringthorpe, is set to take the reins in the rural
ONE of Britain’s first female clergy has been brought in to “heal the wounds” left by pervert rector Adrian Fereday.

Canon Judith Trickett, currently vicar at St Cuthbert’s Church, Herringthorpe, is set to take the reins in the rural parishes of Woodsetts, Letwell and Firbeck 18 months after Fereday was jailed for downloading hardcore child pornography from the internet.

This week Ms Trickett, who is expected to switch roles around Easter, said that she was aware of the circumstances surrounding her move, but insisted: “I’m not one to shy away from a challenge.”

Ms Trickett, who admitted that she was considering retirement when the offer of the new role came from the Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Rev Dr Steven Croft, said: “I’ll be sad to leave Herringthorpe but this is a new challenge and, while I still have my health and the energy to make a difference, one that I’m keen to take on.

“I’ve already been warmly received by the people I have met in the villages.”

People in Ms Trickett’s new parishes have seen their communities rocked by controversy and uncertainty surrounding their churches for more than two years.

Many watched in disbelief as their previous rector’s career hit the rocks following a police raid on the rectory, in the usually sleepy village of Letwell, in November 2007.

But this week churchgoers in the village said that they were delighted to see an end to the saga finally in sight.

Firbeck’s deputy church warden, Sarah Lee, admitted that Ms Trickett had a tough task ahead. “Judith certainly has a few wounds to heal and I know that she’s aware of that,” she said.

“I’m confident that she’ll approach the job with great sensitivity.

“It’s a very difficult job to take over from Adrian. People felt very let down by him, but I think Judith is the perfect appointment.

“The Bishop of Sheffield was very sensitive to the parishes’ case and, although the people in Herringthorpe will undoubtedly be sad to see Judith go, the villagers in Firbeck, Letwell and Woodsetts will greet her with open arms.”

Commenting on Fereday’s departure from his post in September 2008, the Ven Bob Fitzharris, Archdeacon of Doncaster, said: “There is no worse way of leaving your post than being imprisoned and deprived of your living by the bishop.

“It’s fair to say that the Rev Fereday’s departure was a real blow to parishioners.

“Judith’s appointment is just what’s needed. I’m very pleased for the people of the three villages.

“They have been through a very traumatic, upsetting and hurtful period.

“I’m sure Judith will now complete a period of healing among the congregation with her gentle leadership.”

Ms Trickett is no stranger to a challenge. In the 1980s she worked with a missionary scheme in Uganda and was part of the first African Diocese to ordain women into the church.

After returning to Britain, she became one of the country's first female vicars in 1994.

Reflecting that female clergy are still frowned upon by many people in the church, she said: “When I took up my first post in Worsbrough, Barnsley, I was the first female vicar in the Church of England.

“I thought ‘My God, I’m going to this place full of no-nonsense miners, how will they receive a lady vicar?’ but it was absolutely fine.

“If you do a good job, nobody in the community minds what sex you are.

“Some clergy still aren’t happy with women being priests, though. It’s still raw many many maintain that it was the wrong move.”

Mr Fitzharris said that representatives from the Sheffield Diocese would now be meeting to begin the process of appointing a new vicar for Herringthorpe St Cuthbert’s.

CHILD porn vicar Adrian Fereday was handed a 12-month jail sentence for downloading hardcore images and films slammed as “disgusting” and “offensive” by a judge.

The father-of-two was jailed in August 2008 after pleading guilty to downloading 22 hardcore movies and images from the internet.

Fereday, pictured below, was arrested and charged following a police raid on the vicarage, in Barker Hades Road, Letwell, on November 8, 2007.

Five images and 17 movies — one of which featured the rape of a nine-year-old girl — were retrieved from the father-of-two’s computer as part of an investigation into an internet file-sharing site.

During a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court, Sarah Wright, prosecuting, said that the files, downloaded and saved over a three-month period, involved a total of 24 girls aged between two and nine years old.

Fereday admitted that he had been downloading similar images over a number of years as a result of continuing depression.

In mitigation, Robert Smith said that Fereday — a former social worker who had been a vicar since 1994 — had lost everything and was disgusted with himself.

Related topics: