Retired Vicar Axed for Crystal Meth After Police Raid Finds Stash
Drug Discovery Shocks Eastbourne Parish
Retired vicar Rev Geoffrey Baulcomb, 78, has been permanently kicked out of the Church of England after cops found crystal meth and ketamine hidden in his £250,000 East Sussex cottage. The ex-St Mary the Virgin Church priest accepted a police caution for drug possession following the December 2022 raid.
Claims Drug Use Helped His Pastoral Work Rejected
At a Church disciplinary hearing, Baulcomb confessed he’d been on drugs, including heroin, for over 20 years. He bizarrely claimed the substances “helped him connect with parishioners” and aided his pastoral duties. But the Church tribunal was having none of it, saying his argument revealed a “fundamental misunderstanding” of his sacred role.
Decades of Drug Abuse and Defiance
Baulcomb, who retired years ago but stayed ordained, reportedly injected heroin openly in front of a dealer. He admitted, “I totally accept I was wrong” but begged for leniency. The Church stood firm — banning him from any future posts within its ranks.
Local Reaction and Troubling Parallels
The drug bust hit Eastbourne like a bombshell, with some parishioners expressing sympathy. “He obviously needed help,” said one, while another praised his “engaging sermons.” The scandal echoes that of former Co-op Bank boss and ex-minister Paul Flowers, known as the “Crystal Methodist,” who faces sentencing for swindling a friend out of £100,000.
