Former Cardiff University chaplain cleared of indecent assault

Rev Canon Paul Overend (right) was priest at St Teilo's church in Cathays in 1997

A former university chaplain has been found not guilty of indecently assaulting a 20-year-old Cardiff University student 23 years ago.

The Rev Canon Paul Overend, 54, now of Lincoln, was accused of kissing and holding the woman at a party in 1997 while a priest at St Teilo's, Cathays.

The woman told Newport Crown Court she had been "frozen solid" during the alleged assault.

Canon Overend told jurors he did not know the woman and denied the charge.

Speaking after the verdict, Canon Overend said "a wrecking ball" had swept through his life.

'Sort through devastation'

"No happy outcomes were possible today, only damaged and broken people.

"I need now to sort through the devastation and seek to find again some of the joy and purpose in life."

He added that religious ministers "make themselves vulnerable through their work" and would advise faith workers to seek personal insurance liability.

Until the allegation was made last year, he was the Canon Chancellor at Lincoln Cathedral.

Canon Overend told the court he had stepped aside from the senior post when the allegation was made and had to move out of cathedral accommodation.

A meeting will be held on 28 December to decide Canon Overend's future with the Church of England.

The jury of nine men and three women reached their verdict after an hour and 41 minutes of deliberation.