UNITED KINGDOM
International Business Times
By Mark Piggott
April 12, 2014
An Anglican vicar at St Michael & All Angels Church in Bramhall, on the outskirts of Stockport, Greater Manchester, has been arrested and bailed by police on suspicion of raping a teenage girl. Reverend Simon Marsh, 54, was interviewed by detectives investigating alleged offences against the girl, who was aged between 16 and 19 at the time.
In a statement Greater Manchester Police said: “Police are investigating a report of historic sexual abuse in Bramhall. The offences occurred between 2011 and 2013 when the woman was aged between 16 and 19 years old. A 54-year-old man from Bramhall has been arrested on suspicion of rape. He has now been bailed pending further enquiries. Enquiries are ongoing.”
A spokesman for Chester Diocese confirmed the arrest, saying: “We are shocked and surprised at the arrest of the Vicar of Bramhall and the allegations he faces. We will co-operate fully with police enquiries. Simon Marsh will be suspended from his parish duties. A senior priest will be asked to stand in and provide pastoral and church services support.”
Rev Marsh has been a vicar for 32 years since his confirmation by Right Reverend Gerald Alexander Ellison, Lord Bishop of Chester in 1972. He has been vicar at St Michael & All Angels Church since 2006, before which he served in a number of other parishes. In the 1980s he served as Chaplain to Bishop Roy Williamson.
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