Man arrested in connection to murder of vicar

Police have arrested a 47-year-old man in connection to the murder of a vicar in Gloucestershire.

Stephen Farrow was arrested in Folkestone, Kent, in the early hours of Sunday morning on suspicion of murdering the Rev John Suddards.

Mr Suddards was found dead by builders inside his vicarage in Thornbury on Tuesday morning. He had multiple stab wounds.

According to the BBC, Avon and Somerset Police named Mr Farrow as a suspect on Saturday and warned the public not to approach him.

Around 300 people attended a memorial service for Mr Suddards on Friday night led by the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev Michael Perham.

He spoke of a sense of “shock” in a community more accustomed to “trust and safety”.

Mr Suddards served in the Diocese of Chelmsford in Essex for 10 years before moving to Thornbury to become the parish priest last July.

Bishop Perham said: “John was a good man and a fine priest and I mourn his death both as a human being and as a Christian minister.

“The time will come to leave our tears behind and celebrate his life and ministry. It is too soon for that. Tonight we are a shocked community upholding one another and seeking some peace in our hearts.”