Ex-vicar facing child sex charges killed himself

A former vicar who failed to turn up in court to face child sex charges is thought to have killed himself earlier the same day, a coroner has said.

An arrest warrant was issued for Trevor Devamanikkam, 70, from Oxfordshire, when he did not appear at Bradford Magistrates' Court on 6 June.

Police forced entry into his home and found him dead, with apparently self-inflicted stab wounds.

The former churchman, from Witney, was accused of abusing a teenage boy.

He faced six charges relating to sexual assaults alleged to have taken place between March 1984 and April 1985, while Mr Devamanikkam was a vicar in Bradford.

Coroner Darren Salter told Oxford Coroner's Court that the former vicar died from blood loss stemming from multiple stab wounds and cuts.

The death was not being treated as suspicious, Mr Salter said.

Mr Devamanikkam was last seen at 07:00 BST on the day of his scheduled court appearance.

His body, which was found after 16:00 at his home at Otters Court, Priory Mill Lane, was identified by PC Paul Daniels, who had "dealings with him around a year ago", the court heard.