THE disgraced Herefordshire vicar who was sacked for stripping down to his boxers at a baptism and touching a teenage girl's bottom is due to be replaced.

Rev Clive Evans was sacked from his role as vicar at St Peter's Church in Bromyard after a Church of England tribunal found that he had acted in an unacceptable way, despite denying that he touched the child, in her teenage years, and adult on their bottoms without consent.

The tribunal also found that Rev Evans had also acted inappropriately when he was filmed carrying out a baptism at a parishioner's home in his boxer shorts.

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Now, a public consultation will be held at the Falcon Hotel in Bromyard at 10am on Saturday (September 24).

St Peter's Church said that the parishes of Bromyard and Stoke Lacy are now officially in vacancy after a very long period of uncertainty.

It means the Diocese of Hereford is working hard with the parishes to find a new vicar.

It said it will be a structured event led by facilitator Rev Preb Nicholas Lowton, and should last for no more than two hours in total.

A tribunal found Rev Clive Evans, of St Peters Church in Bromyard, touched a child without consent

A tribunal found Rev Clive Evans, of St Peter's Church in Bromyard, touched a child without consent

The vacancy comes after the tribunal which found he aced in an unacceptable way after stripping down to his boxers at the baptism.

He claimed it was an emergency baptism due to the circumstances surrounding it, but the panel disagreed as there was not an imminent danger of death.

After finishing his breakfast and packing for his holiday, he arrived at the house and then informed the family he would be undressing, rather than asking if it was OK.

One of the family members told the tribunal of the shock.

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"Clive then started to remove his shirt which I thought was fair enough seeing as he didn't want to get it wet, however when he started taking his shorts off I was shocked and thought to myself why is he undressing completely in front of my mother, my sister and I," they said.

The panel found that "the circumstances in which it occurred which is inherently inappropriate and unbecoming".

The tribunal, sitting for four days in December 2021, ruled that the vicar should be banned from holding office in the Church for six months and he was also sacked as the vicar for Bromyard.

Rev Evans was said to be an experienced clergyman, a long-serving parish priest and someone who would have been respected due to his age and experience.