Yorkshire priest stabbed by intruder

An elderly priest was rushed to hospital yesterday after being stabbed several times at his home in West Yorkshire. Father Michael Ingwell, 71, parish priest at St Marie's Church in Halifax, is thought to have confronted intruders at his home, just before midnight on Monday. He was taken to Calderdale Royal Hospital where his condition yesterday was described as "serious but stable". The presbytery has been sealed off while detectives continue their investigations. Fr Michael was ordained in St Peter and Paul's Church, in Leyburn, by Bishop George Brunner in July 1959 and has served parishes across West Yorkshire. A 19-year-old man has been arrested over the attempted murder. The Bishop of Leeds, Rt Rev Arthur Roche, told the BBC he had known Fr Ingwell since he was a young priest and had visited him in hospital. Bishop Arthur said: "It was fortunate he was able to raise the alarm himself by getting to a phone. Had he not been able to do that, we could have been looking at something even worse."