A “RAGING” vicar who previously served in the SAS has been banned from the Church of England over abuse and threats to kill his wife.

Reverend Paul Parks had been working as the vicar for St Helen’s with St Barnabas Church in Ore, Hastings.

But he admitted being in breach of Clergy Discipline Measures by a sustained pattern of abuse and assault on his wife Lois, whom he married in 2003.

He held a dagger shaped letter opener towards her face and threatened to gouge out her eyes, the panel heard.

During the abuse he told her if she reported his behaviour he would track her down and kill her.

Lois reported to other church members that she had been “mentally and emotionally abused” by Parks “throughout her married life”.

But in 2017 she withdrew support for a criminal prosecution after Parks sought psychiatric help for post traumatic stress.

Parks, now 60, served in Northern Ireland between 1975 and 1981, the height of “The Troubles”. He was in the SAS TA from 1986 to 1989 before he was discharged, and then turned to the church in 1998, becoming a priest in 1999.

The misconduct hearing heard how Lois had met Parks in 2002, and before they were married there were two incidents of abuse. “You’re going to be a vicar’s wife, you shouldn’t be acting like a whore,” he told her.

There was “lesser abuse” and “controlling behaviour” throughout the marriage, the panel heard. Shortly after their honeymoon he went into a “rage”, shoving her to the floor and not letting her move for more than an hour.

She struck him with a guitar stand, so he threatened to report her to the police after he went to conduct a funeral. He told her she “needed to learn a lesson”.

On other occasions Parks held Lois in an arm lock, and on one occasion drove towards a wall at high speed while she was a passenger.

When she was ill in 2011, Parks refused to let her leave her bed.

The panel was told: “He threatened to kill her and called her Jezabel. When he finally let her go, he blamed Lois for making him a monster.”

In a police interview Lois said she was banned from seeing family and friends or becoming a teacher again. She was not allowed a Facebook account. Parks belittled her and told her: “You’re a vicar’s wife, make sure you behave like it.”

He was banned from being a clergyman for two years. Now he has set up an online funding page asking people to “help a crushed army veteran with PTSD and his family”.