Victim of Abuse Was Brought on Holiday to Malta, British Court Hears, di-ve, April 24, 2007

Victim of Abuse Was Brought on Holiday to Malta, British Court Hears

di-ve
April 24, 2007

http://www.di-ve.com/dive/portal/portal.jhtml?id=275542&pid=23

UK/ Malta (di-ve news) — April 24, 2007 — 1045CEST — A young boy who was allegedly abused by a Vicar of the Church of England tried to break off contact with the man after the latter brought him on holiday to Malta, a British Court has heard.

The Rev. David Smith, 52, is standing trial over 14 charges of sexual assault and indecency against seven boys between September 1976 to May 2005, but is denying the charges, the Daily Express has reported.

The Court heard how the alarm was first raised in the 1980s by the mother of a 15-year-old boy, but Church of England authorities failed to act and simply moved the vicar to another parish.

The man allegedly started abusing youngsters while an assistant housemaster at a prep school in 1976 and continued after becoming parish priest in 1979.

At a later stage, he allegedly used to visit a local junior school to invite pupils to join the church choir, and then use the opportunity to befriend the boys and then sexually assault them over a period between 1998 and 2005.

One of these boys, aged 12 at the time, was also brought on holiday in Malta by the vicar, after which he tried to break off contact with the man.