Vicar son of outspoken former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey ‘molested young girl’ in 1980s
Rev Mark Carey, 51, was held at his church-owned home on Wednesday and has now been suspended by CofE officials
THE priest son of a former Archbishop of Canterbury has been arrested over claims of historic child sex abuse.
Rev Mark Carey, 51, whose father is Lord Carey, was held at his church-owned home on Wednesday.
His alleged victim, now in her 30s, claimed she was assaulted when he was in his late teens and Lord Carey was a priest in the North-East.
Rev Carey was released on police bail and has since been suspended by the Church of England pending inquiries.
Father of three Rev Carey, who followed his father into the church in 1995, has not been seen since his arrest.
In a Twitter message posted after he was released by police, Rev Carey, whose father was Archbishop between 1991 and 2002, wrote: “I’m having a social networking break for a while.”
He was joined at his home in Harrogate, North Yorks, yesterday by his father and mother Eileen. His wife Penny, 53, whom he married in 1988, refused to comment.
A source said the family had been left “reeling” by the allegations, which date back to the 1980s.
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The alleged victim approached Durham Police to make the complaint. Officers from North Yorkshire police arrested him.
The former social worker — who describes himself online as a “follower and friend of Christ” - was ordained in 1995 at Wakefield Cathedral, witnessed by his father.
He had previously been curate of Christ Church in South Ossett, West Yorks and went on to be a parish priest in Sheffield and then Harrogate in 2007.
In 2010 he launched the Kairos church in the town to replace the redundant St Mary’s and now worships in homes, pubs, cafes and even outdoors.
Rev Carey said then: “Kairos focuses on releasing communities of followers to live out the mission of Jesus.”
Last night, a Church of England spokesman said: “A 51-year-old priest in the Diocese of Leeds has been suspended by the Bishop following his arrest by Durham Constabulary concerning allegations of historical abuse.
“No further statement will be made at this time.”
A Durham Police spokeswoman said: “A 51-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of historical sexual offences. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.”