PERVERT Eddie Glover left a trail of scandal behind him in some of the North-East communities he served.

But the affable clergyman, with his charming manner, was cleared and forgiven by the Church of England each time his name was tainted.

Glover's reputation was first tarnished when a mentally ill female patient at what was Cherry Knowle psychiatric hospital, in Sunderland, accused him of sexual harassment.

An investigation into the complaint called for his contract to be terminated, but he was allowed to continue working as a vicar.

He resigned - citing stress - and fled under a dark cloud to the parish of Pittington, near Durham City, where he worked without incident for a couple of years under the supervision of the vicar there.

But by 1994 he was allowed to take up a post in Prime Minister Tony Blair's parish, at the Church of St Mary Magdelene, in Trimdon Village.

There, Glover first set eyes on slim brunette Margaret Orpen, who met him when she was hoping to renew her wedding vows with husband Kavin, after a rocky period in their marriage.

Speaking last night from her Trimdon home, Mrs Orpen said Glover had ruined her life.

She said: "When I first met him I trusted him. If you can't trust a clergyman who can you trust?

"But a lot of people thought there was something a bit strange about him."

In 1995, Mrs Orpen rocked the parish of Trimdon when she alleged that married father-of-two Glover had sex with her in his car and made her pregnant.

The Church of England eventually convened a rare court hearing in the grand surroundings of the Bishop of Durham's home, in Auckland Castle, to look into the allegations.

However, the case was dropped by the prosecution after pregnancy tests proved negative and a psychiatrist diagnosed Mrs Orpen with a mental condition which, they said, caused her to have "delusions".

Last night, she said her own GP refuted that diagnosis, although at the time she conceded the matter had to be dropped for lack of evidence.

But she maintained then, as now, that the allegations were true.

In the church court, in 1997, she issued a statement which read: "I don't withdraw my allegation of adultery. The case was brought in the hope that Mr Glover will never again be in the position to abuse a female parishioner."

The Church and bishop stood firmly behind Glover after the case, but his wife of nearly 20 years - Heather - left him soon afterwards.

He later married present wife, Maria, who stood by him throughout this week's trial.

Last night, mother-of-four Mrs Orpen said: "The whole thing has ruined my life - we got a brick through the window at the time and I still get comments made at me by people in the village, and one of my bairns has problems at school about it all.

"I just hope people will think twice now before judging me, and I hope Glover goes to prison for a very long time."

The people of Trimdon were divided after the allegations were made. One resident said: "A lot of people thought very highly of him and he was well-liked in the community."

"But the village divided. There were two sides - one side which stood by him and others who did not. Those who supported him now feel they have egg on their faces."

Another of Glover's former parishioners said of the child abuse case: "This case seems to go against the pattern. It's always been, for want of a better way of putting it, easily dominated women he's gone for. He's just a sick, sick man."