Murdered vicar: man held

A 43-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a vicar was found stabbed to death in a Gloucestershire village.

The body of the Reverend John Suddards, 59, was discovered by builders on Tuesday at the vicarage in Thornbury, where he had lived for about six months.

The Bishop of Tewkesbury, the Rt Rev John Went, said he had planned to meet Mr Suddards yesterday to review his ministry after his first months there.

The vicar, a former barrister, was a man who cared deeply for people, said the Venerable Geoffrey Sidaway, archdeacon of Gloucester. He said the murder was a sign of the dangers faced by clergymen.

"Many clergy open their homes and their churches to people and clearly that can put them in a vulnerable situation," he said.