Flowers sentenced for drugs offences

THE Revd Paul Flowers, a Methodist minister and former chairman of the Co-op bank, has been fined £525 after pleading guilty to drugs offences. Appearing at Leeds Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (above, centre), Mr Flowers admitted possessing cocaine, crystal meth, and ketamine. He had been exposed by the Mail on Sunday in November (News, 22 November). A spokesman for the Methodist Church said that its internal disciplinary proceedings would now begin, but would remain confidential.
 

Ordinariate leader laments lack of growth

THE leader of the Roman Catholic Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Monsignor Keith Newton, has said that the scheme has not been as successful as had been hoped. Speaking at a chrism mass last month, Mgr Newton said that the vision for the Ordinariate, set up by Pope Benedict XVI to allow Anglicans to enter into communion with Rome without losing all their Anglican tradition, had not been widely bought into. A day of evangelism to reach more members has been planned in September, but its proposed name "Home to Rome" has been dropped; it will now be branded "Called to be One".
 

New Dean for Christ Church, Oxford

THE Principal of Ripon College, Cuddesdon, Canon Martyn Percy, has been appointed as the new Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. Canon Percy has been principal of Ripon College for ten years. He succeeds the Very Revd Dr Christopher Lewis, who has retired. Professor Percy, aged 51, is married to the Revd Dr Emma Percy, who is Chaplain and Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford.
 

Coventry choir leader convicted of child porn offences

A FORMER choir leader and PCC member of a Coventry church has pleaded guilty to 12 counts of possessing indecent images of children. Police found 2655 images on the computer of Robert Humpherson last year. The Coventry Telegraph reported on Tuesday that Mr Humpherson had not been back to the church in question, which it named as Holy Trinity, Priory Row, for more than a year. Mr Humpherson was given a 16-month suspended prison sentence, and ordered to attend a sex-offenders' therapy programme.
 

Channel Islands commission to be established

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has told BBC Jersey that a commission will explore "how the Channel Islands . . . are best served by the Church". The Islands are currently under his oversight after a breakdown in the relationship between the deanery of Jersey and the diocese of Winchester over the handling of a safeguarding complaint (News, 24 January). On Tuesday, the Rt Revd John Gladwin said that his inquiry into the relationship between Jersey and Winchester, originally due to be published last year, was "getting near completion", but was dependent on a report on the safeguarding complaint by Dame Heather Steel, which the diocese of Winchester said last year would not be made public (News, 29 November).