Former Church of England minister in his 80s charged with raping boy

May 18, 2024, 10:58

A former Church of England minister has been accused of raping a boy.

Ifor Whittaker, 80, was vicar of St John The Baptist Church in Sedlescombe, East Sussex, in the late 1990s when he is accused of attacking the boy.

Whittaker has been charged with rape and gross indecency with a boy aged 14 or younger and will appear in court on June 10.

At the time of the alleged offenses he went by the name Father Colin Pritchard.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Police have charged a former Anglican vicar with rape and gross indecency against a boy under the age of 14.”

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“Ifor Whittaker, 80, was a parish priest known as Father Colin Pritchard at St John The Baptist Church in Sedlescombe, East Sussex, at the time of the alleged offenses.

“The offenses are said to have taken place in the late 1990s when the victim – now a man in his 30s – was a young child.

“Whittaker has been remanded in custody to appear in court on June 10.”