Village vicar denies 16 child porn charges

A VILLAGE vicar has denied 16 charges of making indecent images of children.

Rev Dominic Stone, the vicar of Marchington, Marchington Woodlands, Kingstone and Church Leigh, pleaded not guilty to the offences when he appeared at Burton Magistrates' Court yesterday.

The 46-year-old will stand before the same court on January 5, when he will be committed to crown court.

Stone, of Moisty Lane, Marchington, was granted unconditional bail.

The married father-of-two was arrested in February, bringing an end to seven months of uncertainty for his parishioners.

However, police did not charge Rev Stone until last month.

The Diocese of Lichfield had repeatedly refused to tell parishioners why their vicar was not at work for seven months.

Speaking after his arrest was made public by the Mail, one Marchington resident said: "It's been going on for far too long now and we all feel we should have been told why our vicar has suddenly disappeared from his duties.

"There is a big shortage of vicars around here and people are suffering from that. Some are having to wait for weeks to arrange funerals." However, diocesan spokesman Gavin Drake said at the time: "It isn't right that a person who hasn't been formally charged or accused of an offence should have their name dragged through the media when they're unable, because of ongoing police investigations, to offer any public defence."