Jury out in Ex-priest Abuse Trial

Littlehampton Gazette
April 5, 2013

http://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/regional/jury-out-in-ex-priest-abuse-trial-1-4969349

A jury trying a retired Church of England priest from West Sussex and his former organist and choirmaster over alleged historic child sex abuse has retired to consider its verdicts for a second day.

Father Keith Wilkie Denford, 78, is accused of using the respectability of his cassock to molest two boys over an 18-month period from when they were aged around 13.

Hove Crown Court heard that one time Denford, who was the vicar at St John the Evangelist Church in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, abused one of the boys aided by organist and choirmaster Michael Mytton, 68.

Following a meal at a restaurant in Cuckfield, Denford asked Mytton to pull his Jaguar over into a layby where he went on to molest the "inconsolable" boy on the back seat, jurors heard.

Prosecutor Marcus Fletcher said that one of the two boys recalled blowing the whistle about the abuse to a vicar - but nothing was done.

In the end, it was not until last year that police were alerted after one of the boys, now in their late 30s, found out that Denford was still in contact with children.

Through investigation, the name of a third boy emerged and he disclosed that he suffered abuse at the hands of Mytton from around 1990 to 1994 when he was aged 10 or 11, the court was told.

In police interview, the court heard that Mytton denied having sex with the boy but conceded that he was "fond" of him and kept pictures of him.

Asked about the alleged incident in the layby, Mytton told officers: "I'm astonished, absolutely astonished. I don't remember any of that happening at all."

On whether he thought Denford would sexually abuse boys, Mytton replied: "No, I'm astonished and angry. I cannot believe that he would do that and I don't think he would have done that."

Mytton said he never talked about his sexual preferences with Denford and that the pair would speak about music and religion instead.

Denford, of Broad Reach Mews, Shoreham-by-Sea, denies four counts of indecent assault against two boys between January 1987 and January 1990.

Mytton, of South Road, East Chiltington, East Sussex, denies one count of aiding and abetting indecent assault and five counts of indecent assault against two boys between January 1987 and September 1994.

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