THE husband of a woman who claimed she had an affair with a vicar has

been charged with assaulting him, it was disclosed yesterday.

Mr Stephen Edwards, 36, of Henfield, Sussex, has been charged with

assaulting the Rev. Tom Tyler, the suspended vicar of Henfield, on

Tuesday. He was bailed to appear in court on February 3.

Mr Tyler, 52, has faced two Church trials over his relationship with

Mrs Barbara Edwards. At the first, in a consistory court at Chichester

in November 1990, he was found guilty of adultery with Mrs Edwards and

Mrs Susan Whittome, 54, wife of a curate at Henfield.

He appealed to the Court of Arches, which set the verdicts aside and

sent the case back to the consistory court.

The second trial, last September, found Mr Tyler guilty of having an

affair with Mrs Edwards. Charges involving Mrs Whittome were ordered to

lie on the file. Action will be at the discretion of the Court of Arches

or the consistory court.

Mr Tyler's appeal against the finding of the second trial will be

heard in London in March. The Church of England has agreed to pay

#300,000 towards Mr Tyler's legal costs.