The first vicar to appear before a new Church of England disciplinary tribunal has been suspended for four years for having an affair with a married woman.

The Rev David King, a married father of three, has been ordered to stand down from his rural parish near Whitby, North Yorkshire, after being found guilty of engaging in a two-year relationship with Tracey Byrne, a local businesswoman and mother of four, that led to the break-up of her marriage.

Last month Mr King, 55, who denied any impropriety, appeared at Leeds Crown Court before a bishop’s disciplinary tribunal. Evidence against him was presented by Mrs Byrne’s former husband, James.

The tribunal was the first case to be heard since a new church disciplinary process was introduced at the beginning of last year with the aim of dispensing fairer, quicker and cheaper justice to clergy accused of misconduct.

In its ruling, the five-strong tribunal panel, chaired by Geoffrey Tattersall, QC, chancellor of the Diocese of Manchester, found that Mr King, who was ordained in 1978, had “pursued an improper, intimate and physical” relationship with Mrs Byrne, who ran a private residential home.

The relationship, between December 2004 and October 2006, began when Mr King and Mrs Byrne were both still married. Both couples were divorced last year.

Mr Byrne, 52, who now lives in Australia, told the tribunal that he had caught his wife and the vicar “kissing and cuddling” on a sofa in early 2005.

He was also given a birthday card and letter, allegedly sent by the vicar to his wife, which had been found by his sons. The card “depicted an apparently naked, muscular man with a gold rectangle covering his lower abdomen and genitalia”.

The message read: “With very massive love to you today and every day. Dave xxxxxx. Am v cross they used my photo without permission!”

Mr Byrne and Mr King gave evidence at the tribunal. The tribunal found it “very disturbing” that the vicar failed “to acknowledge that it was inappropriate for him, a priest, to hold hands and kiss Mrs Byrne”.

“We believe that either he had no real understanding of the responsibilities of a priest which, given his ministerial experience we very much doubt, or he was simply giving evidence which he knew was untruthful.”

The full report gives details of secret phone calls, intimate text messages and a mystery hotel booking in Whitby.

Giving evidence in support of Mr King, Peter Godbold, a churchwarden and Egton village postmaster, had praised his “hands-on approach and superb pastoral care”.

The Bishop of Whitby, the Right Rev Robert Ladds, said: “I shall be working closely with the Archdeacon of Cleveland and the church members from Middle Esk Moor group to support them to rebuild damaged relationships and to move on from this sad event.”

Mr Byrne, who welcomed the ruling of the tribunal, described Mr King as “a highly believable, manipulative and no doubt charismatic character who has managed to deceive many people”.