"I'm the Bishop of Southwark, it's what I do."

robmiller · 12 Dec 2006 at 17:38

A Bishop is facing calls for his resignation after he allegedly spent a drunken night out and then claimed to parishioners that a head injury he suffered as a result was caused by a mugger.

The Right Reverend Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark, reportedly staggered home from an embassy function and climbed into the back of a stranger's Mercedes, where he started throwing an infant's toys. He was pulled out but toppled over and suffered several head wounds. Asked to explain himself, he is claimed to have said: 'I'm the Bishop of Southwark. It's what I do.' He then disappeared into the night but left in the car personal belongings including a cross, personal organiser and correspondence with the Home Office.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1968879,00.html

Incredible

MarcLister · 12 Dec 2006 at 18:06

Pretty funny I admit. Saw something about this on BBC News where he was saying that the Police had told him they didn't consider it a mugging. I wonder if he got the hint when they told him that.

wozzizname · 12 Dec 2006 at 18:23

Glad to hear it wasn't a mugging - after all bashing the bishop in public isn't the done thing....

HEADRAT · 12 Dec 2006 at 18:24

wozzizname said:
after all bashing the bishop in public isn't the done thing....

The "HEADRAT Spinning Bowtie Award" goes to ^^^

HEADRAT

starscream · 21 Dec 2006 at 16:49

It seems the Bishop "May have been mugged" and is also having test for amnesea - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2511642,00.html

The Bishop said that his Oyster travelcard records show that he used public transport from central London to his home in south Streatham, a trip which he insisted would be difficult to undertake while drunk. "I really do defy anyone who’s had too much to drink to make that journey," he said.

I agree with him. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen anyone drunk on public transport.

dirtydog · 21 Dec 2006 at 17:55

Sounds like an alcohol blackout to me.

Zogger · 21 Dec 2006 at 18:02

dirtydog said:
Sounds like an alcohol blackout to me.

Indeed... Drunk people can seem surprisingly sober during a blackout and have the ability to do things fairly normally, even though they only have a memory of about 2 minutes. Given that he's come from a party it sounds pretty likely to me.

I know plenty of people who have gone home fine on their own with a blackout... equally I know people who have come back covered in cuts / bruises, but that's another story

semi-pro waster · 21 Dec 2006 at 18:46

starscream said:
I agree with him. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen anyone drunk on public transport.

Maybe The Oyster card makes London public transport more difficult than most, (I don't know as I've never tried getting on while drunk) but if you get on a nightbus in Edinburgh you'll see a few drunks, sometimes in the middle of the day as well.

The thing with this story is that it is always going to be difficult to prove either way, one set of events does not preclude the other - 1) he might have been drunk and then mugged ergo memory loss, 2) he might have been drunk and hit his head leading to memory loss, 3) he might have had a couple of drinks and been mugged leading to memory loss or 4) just made the whole thing up and given himself a dunt on the head for the sake of it.

starscream · 21 Dec 2006 at 18:52

He should just admit it. I'd start going to church.

daz · 21 Dec 2006 at 18:54

I thought being drunk usually activates the natural GPS system in the brain - i've managed to get back to friends' houses when off my face, that I've only ever visited once before

iamdjdz · 21 Dec 2006 at 18:58

Bishop's shouldn't be drunk. Should they?

I could use an Oyster when rather far gone when I was in London.

semi-pro waster · 21 Dec 2006 at 19:04

iamdjdz said:
Bishop's shouldn't be drunk. Should they?

Why not? I don't recall them taking an oath to forgo all earthly pleasures but I'll admit that I'm not much of a religious scholar. For practical reasons I'd probably agree that they shouldn't be drunk, well at least not if they are going to get into other peoples cars and throw toys out or get themselves injured.

It may be slightly unseemly I suppose but I can't say it would bother me much either way even if I was religious, you have to allow that people will make mistakes (if indeed this is a mistake on his part rather than a mugging).

Vonhelmet · 21 Dec 2006 at 23:28

semi-pro waster said:
Why not? I don't recall them taking an oath to forgo all earthly pleasures but I'll admit that I'm not much of a religious scholar. For practical reasons I'd probably agree that they shouldn't be drunk, well at least not if they are going to get into other peoples cars and throw toys out or get themselves injured.

It may be slightly unseemly I suppose but I can't say it would bother me much either way even if I was religious, you have to allow that people will make mistakes (if indeed this is a mistake on his part rather than a mugging).

Aye, they make mistakes, but that doesn't mean that particularly embarrassing mistakes won't have consequences.

geeza · 22 Dec 2006 at 00:00

lol. what a lengend. i want to be him

Tom|Nbk · 22 Dec 2006 at 00:05

daz said:
I thought being drunk usually activates the natural GPS system in the brain - i've managed to get back to friends' houses when off my face, that I've only ever visited once before

this seems strangly true as i too have made my way home safely almost paraletic odd :confused:

Biohazard · 22 Dec 2006 at 00:07

The guy claimed he blacked out, wasn't drunk but was seeing doctors to investigate his misterious ammensia.

Yeah right :rolleyes:

whitecrook · 22 Dec 2006 at 00:34

Heard this on the radio the other morning was a lot funnier then.

badgermonkey · 22 Dec 2006 at 02:19

This was on Have I got News For You

As Paul Merton said:
(roughly)
"Isn't that what Jesus said when people asked him how he walked on water? He just said 'I'm Jesus Christ, it's what I do!'"

It was funnieer on the show