A priest who crashed a bishop’s car while three times over the drink-drive limit has been handed a new post.
The Rev Sion Hughes-Carew was censured earlier this year after writing the car off when he smashed into a garden wall and railings near Lincoln Cathedral.
In January, a Church of England panel found that he had engaged in “conduct unbecoming and inappropriate to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders”.
He was issued with a “rebuke and injunction”, and the Church confirmed that he had remained a clergyman.
After the incident, the 40-year-old was arrested and admitted driving the Bishop of Lincoln’s Kia Sportage on Oct 30. He was handed a two-year driving ban and fined £873 at Lincoln magistrates’ court.
There was speculation that he faced being defrocked, but he escaped being stripped of his holy orders.
Now the priest – nicknamed “The Vicar of Tiddly” – has returned to the pulpit in west London as a curate, which is usually a training post. He is preaching to parishioners and making home visits at St Michael and All Angels in Chiswick.
At his first mass on Aug 9, he thanked the congregation for their “loving welcome”, the Daily Mail reported. He said this had included trips to the opera, theatres, galleries, concerts and a football match.
One former parishioner from Lincoln claimed that the appointment was “a cover-up” and that Mr Hughes-Carew had “not had to face the consequences” of what he had done.
After stepping away from his role as vicar of All Saints Church and priest-in-charge at St Mary le Wigford in Lincoln, Mr Hughes-Carew previously said he was “deeply sorry”.
A Diocese of London spokesman said the appointment of Father Carew had been made after careful consideration.
A spokesman told the Mail: “Following the penalty he received earlier in the year from the Church of England, alongside the court’s fine and two-year driving ban, the Revd Sion Hughes Carew is able to minister again in the Church of England.
“The parish of St Michael and All Angels, Chiswick, enquired about the possibility of his filling a vacancy and the Diocese of London worked with the parish to ensure that safer recruitment processes were carried out, including the necessary employment checks and taking up of references.
“These steps have all been completed and the diocese and parish have ensured additional training and support are in place, given the previous incident for which Fr Sion has apologised.”
The diocese was approached for further comment.