A teenager with a history of mental health problems is to be sentenced at Bradford Crown Court after admitting to threatening a Bradford vicar.

But the case of Christopher Coombes, who told Reverend Peter Hedge, of Queensbury Parish Church, that he would shoot him and burn his house, is not an isolated one, according to the Church of England.

Coombes, of Rawson Avenue, Bradford Moor, knew Mr Hedge from his work at a Thornbury youth centre before he began to bombard the clergyman with phone calls and visits this summer.

The vicar started to tape Coombes' calls and reported him to the police after one conversation ended with the teenager threatening to get a gun and use it on him.

But the Church of England says that while only half a dozen similar cases have come to light in the last couple of years, they are sure more go unreported.

A spokesman said that although advice was given to priests a lot of the risks came with the job. He said: "The thing to bear in mind is that priesthood is a vocation and as a vicar you will have to care for the souls of everyone in your parish, and that means being available to everyone.

"The only way to safeguard all clergy from all instances of attack is to stop them doing their job.

"You can take precautions, obviously, and there are many books available full of all kinds of advice, even to the extent of priest's lining their drives with gravel so they can hear people coming.

"But really it's down to each priest to decide what precautions they take within their ministry."

The Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David Smith said: "I very much regret the harassment to which the Reverend Peter Hedge has been subjected.

"By its very nature, the work of the clergy can make them vulnerable when they try to care for people who approach them seeking help.

"This, nowadays, involves a much greater risk for the clergy than in times past and we have strongly encouraged them to take every precaution to prevent them being met with violence.

"In any particular instance a clergyman may have to make a quick judgement as to whether the person approaching them is genuine or not. Difficult as it is for those who seek to help people in need, it's always wise to err on the side of safety."

Coombes, who has spent time at Lynfield Mount Hospital, Bradford, after suffering a breakdown and is still being treated for depression, appeared before Bradford Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

He was ordered to stay away from Mr Hedge while he awaited sentence at Crown Court.