What is striking about this case is that anyone would put incriminating images of himself on the internet. However these kinds of convictions continue to be reported on the media. See our article about claiming damages for child pornography.

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If convicted, there may be civil claims brought not only against the alleged abuser, but also his employers, the school. See the case of X & Y v Wandsworth for an example of such a claim on our website under the Library Section.

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The review was commissioned by the Diocese and reported in October.

The Catholic Church has been riven with child abuse scandals for some years, as well as the ongoing litigation brought by victims. See our caselaw library in “Resources” for reported cases.

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Apparently the assaults occurred at his home as he gave the children, extracurricular maths lessons.

The conviction follows on from an inquiry into St Benedict’s, which concluded that school should not be controlled by monks from Ealing Abbey. That inquiry was in turn sparked by the conviction of  a former headmaster of the school for the abuse of minors. See the BBC report. Another man, a former abbott of the abbey and a teacher at the school is still wanted for questioning in relation to allegations of abuse at the school. See BBC report.

Click here to see examples of civil claims made against the Catholic Church.

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One of the men was convicted of abusing a child in the 1950′s, but the church allowed him to become a priest even though they were aware of his past.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has ordered a review into child protection procedures in the Diocese of Chichester in West Sussex. The review follows on from recommendations made by Baroness Butler-Sloss. There is also understood to be an ongoing investigation into the alleged misconduct of Bishop Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes who apparently allowed one of the men to continue officiating as a priest. 

The Church of England introduced formal child protection procedures in 1995, whilst the Catholic Church followed suit in 2001 following the publication of the “Nolan Report”. Both bodies have employed priests, who have used their position to abuse children although it is probably fair to say that the reports of abuse have been far more numerous in the Catholic Church. 

The Church of England’s procedure stipulates that where an allegation of abuse of made, the church must report the matter to social services. This is crucial because the mere fact of referral may then lead to an investigation and prosecution of the offender. The practical point is that such action (even if it does not lead to any prosecution) can stop the abuse then and there. The common mistake made by the Catholic Church has been to cover up the allegations and move the priest on.

In the case of one of the paedophiles allowed to practise as Church of England priests, the problem is that the abuse that he committed took place in the late seventies to early eighties, long before there was any child protection procedure. That does not excuse the church, because at that time, the danger of paedophiles was well known and there existed informal arrangements between the police and social services for making checks. The problem was that the church seemed to be too ready to forgive, rather than treating the existence of a convicted abuser within its ranks as a matter of the most serious concern. In short, child protection is not a matter for spiritual deliberation.

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Ministers say gifts such as money, food, drugs or alcohol are often used as a means of coercion.

They say robust strategies are needed to ensure children are not sexually exploited by gangs or individuals. Children’s Minister Tim Loughton is launching a plan to make sure agencies work together to tackle the problem.

The Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan will bring together the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, local safeguarding children boards and support organisations like Rape Crisis.

The grooming of vulnerable children for abuse is a common problem. Children in care are often at risk, particularly as they grow older and they have a degree of independence as to where they can go and what they can do. However any child is at risk. Sometime parents simply disengage from their children to such an extent that the child will seek attention elsewhere. Paedophiles are particularly adept at spotting those children who are vulnerable, and putting themselves into situations where they can access the child. All of this takes place behind closed doors, and very often the child will never disclose what has happened, even when they reach adulthood.  Some charitable organisations report that children are simply sold to groups of men, and taken from around the country to be abused.

Very little is known of what goes on, and the information that comes to light tends to emerge from the work of these charities and criminal prosecutions.

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The teacher was found guilty of a series of sex offences, which included:-

• Two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity by a person in a position of trust
• Two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity by a person in a position of trust
• Two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust
• Six counts of making indecent photos of a child

These are all offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Sections 16 to 24 re-enact and amend the offence of “abuse of position of trust” under sections 3 and 4 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000.

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The former social worker had worked for the diocese – which covers Cornwall, Devon and Dorset – since 2002, checking on volunteers who wanted to work with children.

The father of four was also authorised to counter-sign applications for Criminal Records Bureau checks and he had access to confidential church files on child abuse cases.

The Catholic Church has attempted to improve its record on child abuse in recent years.

In 2000, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor asked an independent committee chaired by Lord Nolan to review the problem of clerical child abuse. The terms of reference were to examine and review arrangements made for child protection and the prevention of abuse within the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and to make recommendations. The Nolan Committee made a number of recommendations. One of the results of this report was that the Catholic Church in England and Wales formed the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults. This was followed by the Cumberledge Report in 2007 which made further recommendations for child protection in the Catholic Church.

Both the Nolan and Cumberledge reports can be found on the website of the Cumberledge Commission at www.cathcom.org/mysharedaccounts/cumberlege/index.htm

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The NSPCC is the only voluntary agency in the country, who are empowered to undertake childcare proceedings under the Children Act 1989, in the same way as a local authority.

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