A priest who kept a stack of child porn in the vicarage and was about to adopt a set of twins has been banned from the Church of England for life. 

Tom Donaghey was banned from the church for life after police found thousands of indecent images during a raid at his former marital home in Baxenden in Blackburn Diocese, Lancashire. 

The 56-year-old, who was about to adopt young twins with his wife, was suspended from his duties at Baxenden St John Church after the raid and subsequent arrest in November 2020. 

In 2021, he was spared a prison sentence and handed down a community order after admitting three counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing extreme pornographic images. 

Donaghey, who was also chaplain at St Christopher’s High School in Accrington, admitted his guilt to officers before any of his devices were examined. 

Police found…