Jew World Order

• Stephen Farrow this morning arrested in conviction with vicar’s death
• Arrest came after officers were tipped off by a member of the public
• Police had warned public not to approach him ‘under any circumstances’
• Reverend John Suddards was found stabbed to death last week
• Body discovered by builders carrying out work at his vicarage

By
Nick Constable and Damien Gayle

Last updated at 4:12 PM on 19th February 2012

Police investigating the murder of a clergyman in his vicarage are exploring whether there are any similarities between his death and that of a 77-year-old woman in Worcestershire last month.

Police hunting the killer of Betty Yates in Bewdley say they are working with officers investigating the stabbing of the Reverend John Suddards, 59, in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, last week.

After a tip off from the public, officers this morning arrested drifter Stephen Farrow, 47, at a property in Folkestone, Kent, in connection with the vicar’s murder.

Drifter: Police have arrested Stephen Farrow, 47, (left) over the murder of Rev John Suddards (right), after they were led to him at an address in Folkestone, Kent, by a tip off from the public

Mrs Yates, a retired teacher, was
found stabbed to death at the foot of the stairs at her home on the
banks of the River Severn on January 4.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil
Jamieson, of West Mercia Police, said: ‘We have been particularly
interested in the work by Avon and Somerset Police to investigate the
murder of Reverend John Suddards.

‘We have been working together with them to examine similarities between that incident and the murder of Betty Yates.

‘We will continue our unrelenting efforts to bring the offender responsible for this dreadful crime to justice.’

Similarities: Betty Yates was found stabbed to death at her home in Bewdley, Worcestershire, on January 2

Rev Suddards, 59, a former barrister,
was stabbed to death in his vicarage last Tuesday in the medieval market
town of Thornbury.

He had previously told his
congregation at St Mary’s Church that he was at risk of attack because
he regularly welcomed homeless and vulnerable strangers into his house
as part of his ‘Christian duty’.

Farrow’s arrest came after police yesterday
named him as their prime suspect for the killing of Rev Suddards.

Officers from Avon and Somerset
Police, in conjunction with Kent Police, went to an address in Black
Bull Road at 4.20am where Farrow was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken
into police custody.

A Kent Police spokesman said he was
detained ‘without incident’ and no one was injured. His arrest comes
after Sussex Police said he was spotted last night in the Hastings and
Rother area of East Sussex.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Crisp,
who is leading the investigation into Mr Suddards’ death for Avon and
Somerset Police, said: ‘Early this morning, on our behalf, Kent Police
arrested Stephen Farrow on suspicion of the murder of the Reverend John
Suddards in Thornbury last week. His arrest follows a nationwide appeal
for information which we released yesterday.

‘I would like to thank the public and
all those who have helped us to find him. It was as a direct result of
assistance from a member of the public that we were able to locate this
man and we would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude.’

Dawn raid: The house on Black Bull Road where police swooped and arrested Farrow at 4.20am this morning

Police continued their inquiries outside the vicarage where Rev Suddard’s body was found

The community of Thornbury has been shattered by the death

It was unclear whether Farrow is the
same man recorded on CCTV sitting on a pavement outside St Mary’s Church
last Monday between 6pm and 8pm, hours before Mr Suddards’ body was
found.

DCI Crisp earlier said a 43-year-old
man arrested earlier this week on suspicion of Mr Suddards’ murder had
been interviewed at length and answered all questions put to him, and
had now been released on police bail.

Police also seized a white van just
hours after the man was arrested on Tuesday night. The Citroen was
lifted on to a low-loader and taken away from a property in Knapp Road,
about a mile from the vicarage.

It is believed a man in his 40s had been sleeping in it. Yesterday, officers were searching the Knapp Road house and grounds.

Bachelor Mr Suddards took over the Thornbury parish six months ago after serving for 22 years in the Diocese of Chelmsford.

Vicar John Suddards, pictured at a Christening, admitted he was at risk during a sermon because of the type of people he took in

Police attend the scene outside the vicarage next to St Mary’s church, where the vicar’s body was found by builders

Tragedy: St Mary’s Church in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, where Rev Suddards has taken over as vicar last July

He told parishioners that he joined the Church when a serious road accident forced him to rethink his life.

The theory that he was attacked by a
homeless drifter received added credence after his sermon last October
about the risks of inviting strangers into his home.

Mike Spiller, a lay reader who had
supper with Mr Suddards five days before his death, said the vicar had
been enjoying his new ministry.

He added: ‘He was a good guy and he was settling in well. I
know of nobody who would have a grudge against him. He  was around here
last week – we were having a church meeting over some casserole.’

Forensic teams were called in after Mr Suddards was found soon after 10am on Monday

Police search the roadside near the vicarage where Mr Suddards was apparently killed

Father Alex McAllister of the Catholic Christ the King Church in Thornbury described the vicar as a bright and ‘lovely guy’.

He said: ‘When he said in his sermon a
few weeks ago that he took people in, I think he just meant he opened
his door to them. He wasn’t a soft touch.’

In a statement released by police,
the vicar’s family said: ‘We are devastated with the news of John’s
untimely and shocking death.

‘We would appreciate being left in peace while we struggle to come to terms with what has happened.’

Detectives are trying to put together a picture of Mr Suddards’ personal
and social life and are believed to have contacted clergy at his former
parish.

It
also emerged that local Roman Catholic and Methodist churches were being
searched as part of the police inquiry amid fears religious officials
had been targeted.

‘He was much loved’: Rev John Suddards previously worked at St Nicolas Church in Witham, Essex

Recalling
Mr Suddards’s words on the danger of his acts of charity, Meg Adnams, a
member of Oldbury-upon-Severn parochial church council, said: ‘[He]
gave a sermon and said it was a bit of a risky job being a vicar.’

She added: ‘He was a lovely man who wouldn’t have an enemy in the world.’

The Venerable Geoffrey Sidaway, the Archdeacon of Gloucester, echoed Mr
Suddards’s own words, saying: ‘Sadly, this event highlights the
vulnerable nature of parish ministries in some of our communities
today.’

He continued: ‘Many clergy on a daily
basis open their homes and churches to people and that clearly can put
them in a vulnerable position.’

And a parishioner, who did not wish to
be named, said the murder was ‘worrying’ for priests in the area. She
said: ‘There are vagrants always around looking for money.

The Bishop of Tewkesbury the Rt Rev John Went with the Archdeacon of Gloucestershire Geoffrey Sidaway (right), addresses journalists after Reverend John’s memorial service

‘But that is what the church is all about. It is very worrying. Some of the priests are elderly and I worry about them.’

The victim’s sister Hilary Bosworth said: ‘My family and I have been devastated to learn of John’s
untimely and shocking death.’

Another friend of the vicar, who asked not
to be named, added: ‘John took his responsibilities very seriously.
This meant responding to the needs of anyone who turned up at his door.’

On Friday morning, the Bishop of
Tewkesbury told a congregation at St Paul’s Church in Thornbury in a
sermon: ‘Our hearts very much go out to you as a church community and a
wider community that will be stunned at this time and will have so much
to come to terms with over the coming months and indeed years.’

Phil Barlow, 59, a district councillor
in Braintree, Essex, said Mr Suddards had conducted the wedding of his
daughter Lucy before he moved to Gloucestershire.

He said: ‘He cared very much for people and poured all his energy into his flock.

‘He certainly had no enemies here and I have never known anyone that had anything other than kind words to say about him.’

The Right Reverend Christopher Morgan,
Bishop of Colchester, added: ‘Very many people – myself certainly
included – will have been grateful not only for John’s pastoral ministry
but also for his human friendship.

‘He has been cruelly snatched away: may he now rest in peace and rise to glory.’

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