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Vicar who went on the run after stealing church funds jailed Vicar who went on the run after stealing church funds jailed
(35 minutes later)
A vicar who went on the run to Germany just before he was convicted of stealing thousands of pounds has been jailed for two years and eight months.A vicar who went on the run to Germany just before he was convicted of stealing thousands of pounds has been jailed for two years and eight months.
Simon Reynolds, 50, took more than £16,500 handed over to All Saints church in Darton, Barnsley, for weddings, funerals and churchyard memorials.Simon Reynolds, 50, took more than £16,500 handed over to All Saints church in Darton, Barnsley, for weddings, funerals and churchyard memorials.
He was jailed at Sheffield crown court by judge Julian Goose QC, who heard that Reynolds fled to Dusseldorf as the jury deliberated last week.He was jailed at Sheffield crown court by judge Julian Goose QC, who heard that Reynolds fled to Dusseldorf as the jury deliberated last week.
He handed himself in to South Yorkshire police on Monday in an arranged appointment.He handed himself in to South Yorkshire police on Monday in an arranged appointment.
Senior clergy, including the Right Rev Tony Robinson, bishop of Wakefield, and the Ven Peter Townley, archdeacon of Pontefract, had appealed for Reynolds, of Farnham, Surrey, to hand himself in.Senior clergy, including the Right Rev Tony Robinson, bishop of Wakefield, and the Ven Peter Townley, archdeacon of Pontefract, had appealed for Reynolds, of Farnham, Surrey, to hand himself in.
Reynolds’s trial heard he had not paid any fees for weddings or funerals to the Wakefield diocesan board of finance for a number of years, despite conducting a number of services during this time.Reynolds’s trial heard he had not paid any fees for weddings or funerals to the Wakefield diocesan board of finance for a number of years, despite conducting a number of services during this time.
Monuments for 23 burials and 50 cremation plaques or inscriptions were found in the church grounds and graveyard but no records of the burials or cremations had been made.Monuments for 23 burials and 50 cremation plaques or inscriptions were found in the church grounds and graveyard but no records of the burials or cremations had been made.
Two widows who handed over cash to Reynolds in relation to headstones after their husbands died said he deserved a longer sentence.Two widows who handed over cash to Reynolds in relation to headstones after their husbands died said he deserved a longer sentence.
Iris Fleetwood, whose husband Jeff died in 2010, said: “To me personally, he nearly destroyed me, that man. I did warn the church at the time, I told him personally and his boss that he was no man of God and he was a disgrace to Darton church. Iris Fleetwood, whose husband Jeff died in 2010, said: “To me personally, he [Reynolds] nearly destroyed me, that man. I did warn the church at the time, I told him personally and his boss that he was no man of God and he was a disgrace to Darton church. He took me to the very edge, and from that day I’ve waited for this day and, at last, it’s come. I knew one day he would be found out for exactly what he is. He was never, ever a man of God.”
“He took me to the very edge, Simon, and from that day I’ve waited for this day and, at last, it’s come. I knew one day he would be found out for exactly what he is. He was never, ever a man of God.” Gail Zoldan, whose husband Martin died in 2011, said: “I’m glad that justice has been done but I do think he should have got longer than he has – him being in the position that he was, a priest. If it had been somebody else, I wouldn’t have been as bothered. But I think being a priest, and having all your trust in him, the sentence just isn’t long enough.
Gail Zoldan, whose husband Martin died in 2011, said: “I’m glad that justice has been done but I do think he should have got longer than he has – him being in the position that he was, a priest.
“If it had been somebody else, I wouldn’t have been as bothered. But I think being a priest, and having all your trust in him, the sentence just isn’t long enough.
“When you’ve lost somebody so close to you, that’s been a big part of your life since you were 14 years of age, and then you try to make a nice grave for him and [Reynolds] doesn’t even keep the cemetery properly done – you’ve to fight weeds and everything to get to a grave. And then for him to steal money that was there for that reason, it just causes you a lot of grief, so much upset.”“When you’ve lost somebody so close to you, that’s been a big part of your life since you were 14 years of age, and then you try to make a nice grave for him and [Reynolds] doesn’t even keep the cemetery properly done – you’ve to fight weeds and everything to get to a grave. And then for him to steal money that was there for that reason, it just causes you a lot of grief, so much upset.”
Both women, who live in Darton, watched from the public gallery as Reynolds was jailed.Both women, who live in Darton, watched from the public gallery as Reynolds was jailed.