The Rev David Fisher has been barred from ministry following a disciplinary tribunal by the Church of England, which found his conduct toward the Rev Sarah Gillard-Faulkner to be sexually motivated and inappropriate. The incident occurred during a clergy congress held last November at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, a prominent Christian pilgrimage site in the UK.

The gathering, attended by over 30 members of the clergy under the oversight of the Bishop of Oswestry, was intended as a spiritual event. However, the evening took a different turn during a gala dinner and subsequent socializing. Fisher, 74, and Gillard-Faulkner, 46, who serves as the Anglican chaplain for Onley prison near Rugby, Warwickshire, were seated at the same table during dinner. Fisher consumed a significant amount of alcohol throughout the evening, including a quarter bottle of wine at the dinner, doubles of gin and tonic afterward in the shrine’s Norton Room, and a large glass of red wine later on. Fisher denied being intoxicated.

According to Gillard-Faulkner, after joining Fisher at the bar, he placed his right arm around her shoulder while stroking her forearm with his left hand, an action she described as unwelcome. Later, she said Fisher attempted to enter her bedroom despite her efforts to close and lock the door. The tribunal concluded that Fisher’s actions constituted conduct improper to his office as a Church of England cleric, describing it as "sexually motivated" and “unbecoming and inappropriate to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders.”

As a result of the findings, Fisher has been prohibited from exercising any ministerial duties and is barred from applying for permission to officiate until October 2024. The Church of England disciplinary process underscores its commitment to addressing misconduct within its clergy while maintaining professional standards for those in Holy Orders.