This page contains details of any criminal penalties relating to former church officers in the Diocese of Exeter. The details will be removed when the conviction is spent.
Statement Regarding Peter Thurley
Former churchwarden Peter Thurley, from Ivybridge, was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on 20 April 2022 to 42 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty to making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children.
He was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
He has been ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work, as well as 35 hours of the probation service Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.
The Bishop of Exeter suspended Peter Thurley as a Churchwarden of St Peter’s and St Paul’s Church, Ermington, immediately following his arrest in March 2021. Peter Thurley also ceased to be the church organist, choir director and a member of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) at the same time.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and anyone affected by this case.
The Diocese of Exeter safeguarding team and the Archdeacon of Totnes have been working with the leadership of St Peter’s and St Paul’s Ermington to take all necessary safeguarding measures in relation to Peter Thurley.
They will continue to offer support to all those directly affected, the St Peter’s and St Paul’s church community and the wider Three Rivers Mission Community, of which the church is a part.
If you would like to have a confidential conversation with one of our safeguarding advisors, please phone 01392 294975 or email
