BishopAccountability.org
	Former Priest Found Guilty of Schoolboy Sex Offences This is South Devon August 3, 2007 http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=135239&command= displayContent&sourceNode=135077&contentPK=18005651&folderPk=79060&pNodeId=134831 United Kingdom — A former priest who sexually assaulted his students at a Devon school will face jail, a judge has warned. Paul Couch, 61, was found guilty at Exeter Crown Court yesterday, after a jury of four women and eight men took less than eight hours to reach their conclusion.Couch, of Wyndham Street West, Plymouth stood motionless as the guilty verdicts were delivered on two serious sexual assaults - a verdict which was reached by a majority of 11 to one. Couch, pictured right, was also convicted of 11 indecent assaults but the jury cleared him of four other charges of indecent assault. The offences took place against boys at the school during the 1970s and 1980s and the police became involved in 2004 when a former pupil, on remand in prison, told a prison chaplain how a member of staff at the school sexually abused him. Couch left the school in 1978 to join the Royal Navy as a Chaplain, returning to teach in 1983. He remained at the school until 1992 when he rejoined the Royal Navy. Judge Paul Darlow adjourned sentencing as Couch's father is ill in hospital with Alzheimer's Disease. However, he said Couch will be jailed. Judge Darlow said: "Simply as an act of mercy to him and perhaps to his father who I understand is in terminal decline, I'm prepared to adjourn sentencing." Couch was released on bail. In a statement after the guilty verdict Detective Inspector Steve White, who was in overall charge of the investigation, said: "This investigation, due to the historical context and nature of allegations, proved demanding and complex. "A team of up to five detectives were dedicated to this inquiry at varying stages of the investigation and evidence was screened in a sensitive and professional manner with full regard to the needs of the victims. "Devon and Cornwall Constabulary treats cases of sexual abuse, whether historical or present, seriously and ensure any subsequent investigation is progressed in a robust manner with significant attention to detail. "I hope those who have previously been victims of this type of abuse will be confident that if they report it to the police we will do all we can to prosecute whenever there is sufficient evidence. "I am grateful to the Crown Prosecution Service for their support in this case and I trust the outcome will assist in providing some form of closure to the victims."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.