This is a text-only version of an article first published on Tuesday, 17 June 2014. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
The Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Andrew Proud, said: "I heard today that the Revd Brian Spence has been convicted today of seven counts of indecent assault.
Mr Spence served in the Diocese of Oxford from 1986-2012 and has been jailed for four years."Any case like this is a matter of sincere sorrow and regret for the Church of England. We expect high standards of personal conduct in our clergy, and take cases such as these extremely seriously."The Diocese of Oxford always works closely with the statutory authorities to ensure that abusers are brought to justice. "Mr Spence will be referred for barring and prohibited from ever holding office in the Church of England again as a result of his conviction."All those involved in this sad case are in my thoughts and prayers."