PARISHIONERS have expressed a mix of shock and relief after the rector of Farnham, Simon Reynolds, was jailed for two years and eight months this week after being found guilty of stealing an estimated £24,000 in church funds.

In a dramatic twist, Reverend Reynolds fled to Germany just hours before he was found guilty of four counts of theft last Thursday - only to hand himself in at a police station in Sheffield on Monday morning ahead of his sentencing the next day.

Police launched a manhunt for the 50-year-old Upper Church Lane resident and vicar of St Andrew’s Church in Farnham after he went missing, but he contacted parishioners last Friday to let them know he was safe and after some soul-searching intended to return to face justice.

Rev Reynolds was the priest-in-charge at All Saints Church in Darton, South Yorkshire, between 2007 and 2013 when the thefts took place. The thefts, of fees paid for weddings, funerals and memorials, do not relate to his tenure at St Andrew’s.

Andrew Partridge, churchwarden and lay reader at St Andrew’s was one of those to receive an email from Rev Reynolds last Friday, and expressed mixed emotions at hearing the vicar had been handed a 32-month jail term.

Mr Partridge told The Herald: “You might expect everyone to be fuming and boiling with anger, but the overwhelming view in the congregation is one of bewilderment because whatever happened, it did seem that Simon was convinced he did nothing wrong.

“I don’t think any of us feel he was deliberately stringing us along and I don’t think there was any malicious intent. He really doesn’t sound like someone who was lying through his teeth and schemingly and calculatingly spun a tissue of lies.

“But for us to square that with what has happened has been difficult and a number of different conclusions have been come to.”

Mr Partridge added Rev Reynolds made a very “positive” impression on the congregation during the six months he was active in the parish and said many parishioners expressed concern for his safety after he went missing last week.

It has since emerged that after failing to return to court for his verdict on Thursday, Rev Reynolds planned to travel to Dublin but instead booked a flight to Dusseldorf, where he stayed with a friend who drove him back from the Continent.

Mr Partridge continued: “Our great concern was that he had done something awful and it was a great relief to hear from him on Friday lunchtime. He sounded very anguished and confused, and admitted the worst scenario had stared him in the face.

“But he said he just needed to regroup and get some rest before facing up to it all, and knew he needed to come back and let it all run out. He’s obviously in massive turmoil and I suppose if there was any denial which is now being cracked open, that must be a pretty uncomfortable process.”

Rev Reynolds was inducted as the Rector of Farnham in March 2013 before the allegations emerged. He was arrested by South Yorkshire Police in November that year and was subsequently suspended by the Diocese of Guildford.

It took until January 2015 for the police to charge the vicar with four counts of theft from the parochial church council at All Saint’s Church in Darton and the Diocese of Wakefield between March 1, 2007 and March 4, 2013.

His suspension has left the Parish of Farnham without a full-time rector for more than a year-and-a-half, prompting parishioners to help fulfil church duties and a rota of retired clergy and senior members of the diocese to lead services.

The Bishop of Dorking the Rt Rev Ian Brackley. paid tribute to the parish of St Andrew’s for its “gracious response and forbearance” and pledged continued support for the parish as it begins to look ahead.

He said: “The congregations, the parochial church council, the churchwardens and staff have responded graciously throughout this long process and tribute must be paid to their resilience and ability to move forward against the odds.

“Now that the trial is over the parish can begin to look ahead. Simon remains suspended and now faces a disciplinary process because of the criminal conviction. I cannot speculate on possible outcomes of this but I can say that a conclusion is expected shortly.

“We will continue to support the parish through that and into the future. They will remain in our prayers – as Simon does - and we look forward to seeing what God has in store for them.”

Appearing at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday, Rev Reynolds was sentenced to 30 months in jail for stealing church fees and an additional two months for breaching his bail.

Sentencing the vicar, Judge Julian Goose said Rev Reynolds had “abused” the trust of parishioners in South Yorkshire who had let him into their homes and lives.

Iris Fleetwood, who paid Rev Reynolds in cash for a headstone following the death of her husband Jeff in 2010 said: “He nearly destroyed me, that man. I did warn the church at the time, I told him personally and his boss that he was no man of God and he was a disgrace to Darton church.”

The Crown Prosecution Service said it was impossible to say exactly how much Rev Reynolds had stolen because of the “appalling state” of his book-keeping, but estimated it at in excess of £24,000.

Senior prosecutor Caroline Tubb said: “It is hard to imagine a more deplorable and flagrant breach of trust than a vicar stealing money from his own parishioners.”

The Archdeacon of Surrey, Stuart Beake added in a statement following Rev Reynolds’ conviction: “The consequences of Simon’s actions have been felt far and wide, in Simon’s former parishes near Barnsley, and particularly here at St Andrew’s.

“It is of course a matter of deep disappointment when any member of clergy acts in anything other than an exemplary manner, and we deeply regret the pain and disruption which this episode has brought to parish life here in Farnham.”