A jury has found a vicar guilty of repeatedly beating a woman with a bamboo stick over a decade-long period of abuse.

Hilary Alflatt, 87, was accused of treating his victim like a slave and was said to have told her not to look at her ‘master’ when he worked at a church in Sheffield during the 1980s.

Alflatt, previously known as Malcolm, now has dementia and was unfit to take part in his trial at Hull Crown Court.

In his absence, he was found to have committed actual bodily harm over almost 10 years.

In police interviews, Alflatt had agreed some of the alleged incidents did take place but said they were consensual.

In her closing speech Louise Reevell, prosecuting, said: ‘This case is not about an affair and consent, it’s about power, control, depravity and sadism on his part.’

In reply, Kathryn Pitters, defending, had said: ‘They formed a romantic relationship and although some of the proceedings that took place may make you raise an eyebrow, the reality, as he puts it, was, “you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors between two consenting adults”.’

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge that Alflatt branded the vulnerable woman with a hot needle.

He was cleared of three other counts of causing actual bodily harm which related to more time-specific allegations, and two counts of false imprisonment.

Judge Sophie McKone told the jury: ‘There’s no mystery – you know Mr Alflatt is not here. He has dementia, he is in a nursing home. I cannot do anything today without some more information.

‘Although you found he did the acts in count seven, the court does not punish him for that because he is not fit to take part in the trial. He is not going to go to prison.’

Explaining her options for how to deal with the case Judge McKone said she could hand down an absolute discharge, make a guardianship order or impose a hospital order.

A hearing to decide on this will take place on May 3.

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