Lancashire Evening Post
August 14, 2007
http://www.lep.co.uk/news?articleid=3108253
United Kingdom — A former youth worker today revealed she raised concerns about serial paedophile priest Edmund Cotter THREE times with church bosses.
Former city councillor Marie Milne, 79, was a youth worker at St Anthony's youth club in Preston where Cotter molested some of his victims more than 30 years ago.
She alleged Cotter, who admitted 13 charges of indecent assault on 11 victims aged between seven and 11, would turn up uninvited on a Monday evening when children were holding a drama club.
He was jailed for five years on Friday.
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| Jailed priest Edmund Cotter |
The mum-of-seven, whose children went to the Cadley Causeway club, urged victims to "hold the church to account."
Mrs Milne, who represented Garrison ward for 17 years, said: "I raised concerns with the club committee three times.
"I was suspicious about him. But I felt the children would be all right as long as someone else was in the building. Obviously I now know that wasn't the case and I feel awful.
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| Former councillor Marie Milne says her warnings were ignored |
"My youngest daughter would tell me he would come up to her to talk to her and that she didn't like it. Sometimes other members of the church in the building would say 'Get him out of there' and the children told me they didn't want him there.
"When I told the board my concerns I felt I was ignored and that they wanted to me to leave."
Mrs Milne said youngsters from St Anthony's had formed a drama group – but Cotter would attend, sometimes with other children.
She added: "The club was nothing to do with Cotter and the children would complain to me when he turned up. He had a key and would go and sit in the little room with them.
"I didn't like it. But I had raised concerns and couldn't stop him coming in so I had to get on with my own job cleaning up."
Cotter, 60, was jailed for five years and two months after admitting abusing 10 children
during his ministry at St Anthony's and another girl during his time at St Gregory's church
in the city.
Most of the offences came to light after the Evening Post printed a story about the priest pleading guilty to three offences.
Within days, nine girls and a boy who used to attend the youth club came forward to say they had been abused.
Mrs Milne said: "I'm really mad about what went on and I wish I had done a little bit more to stop him going in. I feel sick thinking about it.
"But my husband died one day in that building during a youth disco so other things took over in my life."
A spokesman for the Bishop of Lancaster, Patrick O'Donoghue, said the diocese was "fully committed to procedures designed to prevent similar abuses of trust" but declined to comment further on Mrs Milne's claims.
Cotter, of Ulverston Road, Dalton-in-Furness, will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life and is banned from working with children ever again.
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