AUSTRALIA
The Sunday Mail
By Sonya Neufeld
23sep05
A FORMER Catholic priest convicted of sexually assaulting an altar boy in his NSW parish has lost an appeal against his conviction.
James Fletcher, 64, of Branxton, was found guilty of nine charges over the sexual abuse of the teenager between 1989 and 1991.
Fletcher was convicted in December last year of the offences, which occurred in his NSW Hunter Valley parish.
In April he was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years jail with a non-parole period of seven and a half years.
His appeal against his conviction was dismissed in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal today in a majority decision by a three-judge panel.