The Catholic church has confirmed that a convicted paedophile priest has not returned to work in Gospel Oak, after it deleted a tweet apparently showing him in a picture.
Friar Timothy Gardner, who worked out of St Dominic's Priory, in Southampton Road, was found in possession of more than 5,000 images of child abuse in 2014.
He received an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, subjected to a five-year sexual offences prevention order and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
On August 8, Westminster Diocese tweeted a picture of a group of priests, apparently including Gardner, celebrating the feast of St Dominic Guzman.
A parishioner, who asked not to be named, said: "He shouldn't be in the church at all after what he's done – and there are children there as well." When approached by the Ham&High, Westminster Diocese deleted the tweet saying the "photo was taken in December 2008" but it did not say why an old photo was used.
"The individual in question was most certainly not present at the Priory on August 8," a spokesperson said."I can confirm that the individual in question does not have any official church-related role."