Published: Tuesday, 12 December, 2006, 09:53 AM Doha TimeLONDON: A bishop was entangled in a mystery yesterday after admitting he couldnÂ’t explain how he got a black eye after a drinks party - while witnesses gave a colourful account of his night out.The Bishop of Southwark also sustained a bump on the head at some point after leaving a pre-Christmas party at the Irish embassy, which as media reports noted is not known for restraint in providing liquid hospitality.
One thing is sure: the bishop, less formally known as the Right Reverend Tom Butler, initially said he had been mugged after arriving home last Tuesday night with a bump to his head and without his briefcase and mobile phone.He had spent two hours drinking at the Irish embassy with fellow guests including BritainÂ’s domestic spy agency chief, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, and the former Northern Ireland politician David Trimble. Two hours of drinking at the Irish embassy? Good lordÂ…thatÂ’s like two days at Spring Break in Mazatlan.
Butler told his congregation the next day he could not wear his bishopÂ’s hat because of the bump on his head. He had reported the incident to police, who had told him the injuries were consistent with being mugged.But things became more cloudy when witnesses questioned whether the senior cleric - who is a regular religious commentator on BBC radio - had taken a direct route home from the embassy.
Specifically, they said he ended up in a lane, next to railway arches near his cathedral, where he climbed into a strangerÂ’s Mercedes, and started throwing toys out into the road.
According to the carÂ’s owner, Paul Sumpter, after he found the robe-wearing trespasser in his vehicle the following conversation occurred: Sumpter: "
A brief fracas then occurred, and an ambulance was called, but the mystery man apparently staggered off into the night."We were laughing because he was staggering so much as he walked off," said Paul Sathaporn, manager of a nearby bar.After that account emerged the 66-year-old admitted he couldn’t remember exactly what had happened."I can remember the reception. It was one of those pre-Christmas receptions, with interesting conversations and interesting people. I had a drink," the bishop was quoted as saying in the Guardian."There lies the difficulty. I am not in a position to say dogmatically anything more about it. I have no memory of what happened. I came home certainly with an injury and with a loss of property."Whatever the reality of what happened, the cleric - a father or two and a senior member of the Church of England, insists the incident does not call into question his ability to do his job."I certainly don’t intend to resign," he told The Guardian. – AFP