Grafton Close care home abuse trial: Catholic priest's cleaner 'found indecent video'

By Laura Proto
Local Guardian
February 17, 2015

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11796145.UPDATE__Grafton_Close_care_home_abuse_trial__Priest_told_alleged_victim____This_is_just_between_us___/

Father Anthony McSweeney (pictured at a hearing in September) denies abusing boys in the Grafton Close children's home in the 1970s and 1980s

The children's home in Grafton Close has now been turned into flats.

The trial of a priest accused of abusing boys in a children's home in the 70s and 80s has heard his cleaner found an indecent video at his home as far back as 1998.

Catholic priest Father Tony McSweeney, who was a friend of John Stingemore, the manager of the Richmond Council-run care home, denies four counts of indecent assault and four of taking or possessing indecent images of children.

Mr Stingemore was due to be on trial as well but he died on February 2 at his home in Hastings.

Opening the trial, prosecutor Sarah Plaschkes QC said: "From the time before he became a priest, he has had a sexual interest in teenage boys.

"Over the decades on various occasions, he has taken indecent images of teenage boys.

"In 1998 his cleaner found a video in his home. Finally when he was arrested in 2013, indecent images were found on his laptop.

"Between 1979 and 1981, the prosecution say, he sexually abused teenage boys.

"At that time, he was a close friend of a man called John Stingemore. He was the officer in charge of Grafton Close, a residential home for vulnerable children.

"That gave this defendant the opportunity to sexually abuse teenage boys who were in care.

"It is our case the defendant sexually abused three boys in that children's home."

Father McSweeney arrived at court today in a black suit, red tie and a white shirt with a walking stick. He has been given a hearing device for use for the trial which is expected to last two weeks.

The charges relate to Grafton Close children's home in Hanworth which was then run by Richmond Council.

Ms Plaschkes told the court in the 1970s and 1980s, Mr McSweeney was involved in the Scout movement.

In the late 1970s at a scout retreat, Mr McSweeney met a boy who was 15 at the time, and the teenager later helped at a week-long retreat.

Ms Plaschkes said: “He recalls on one occasion he was having a shower and he heard someone say ‘Don't forget to wash under the foreskin’.

“He froze and kept the front of his body away from the voice and turned to see who had said that. He saw Mr McSweeney about 10ft away. He turned back to shower and Mr McSweeney left.

“At the time he felt someone who was training to be a priest should not have done that and it stayed with him for the rest of his life.”

The court heard claims that at Grafton Close children’s home, Mr Stingemore, who has since died, was a “control freak and was very good at picking on people’s weaknesses”.

Ms Plaschkes said Mr McSweeney, who was a friend of Mr Stingemore’s, was often at the home and one boy said Mr McSweeney was “very touchy feely” with the children and had watched him in the shower.

Another boy said he remembered a trainee priest being at Grafton Close who was distinctive because he was “massive” and “a right bulk”.

Ms Plaschkes told the court, on a number of occasions when the boy was in the shower, Mr Stingemore and Mr McSweeney came in to the bathroom and watched him in the shower. 

She said Mr Stingemore would touch the boy’s private parts, but said it was done on the pretence of making sure he was clean. The prosecution said this was done for sexual gratification.

The second alleged victim, who Mr McSweeney is alleged to have assaulted three times, said he became aware that Mr Stingemore was taking two boys away at the weekends to somewhere on the coast.

Ms Plaschkes said: “Mr Stingemore was strict but did not sexually abuse the boy, however Mr McSweeney did. Mr McSweeney gave him cigarettes to build his trust.

“He progressed to try to kiss him on the face and on the lips and he tried to put his tongue in his mouth. He tried to fondle him and that fondling happened a number of times.

“There were one of two occasions where the boy was having a shower and the bathroom door opened and Mr McSweeney went in and offered to wash him down.”

In another incident, Ms Plaschkes said Mr McSweeney used his body to overpower the boy, who was undressed, it was claimed.

The court heard Mr McSweeney allegedly pulled down the boy’s trousers and performed a sex act on him before producing a camera to take photographs of the boy, before saying “This is just between us. Don’t you be going telling anyone else.”

A third alleged victim was sexually abused by Mr Stingemore, the court heard, and was taken to a house in Bexhill where Mr McSweeney also was.

At the house, the boy was allegedly told to go upstairs by Mr McSweeney and was told to take off his clothes.

Ms Plaschkes said: “Mr McSweeney touched and rubbed his body and ejaculated on to his chest. Mr Stingemore came back and stood watching with his hands in his pockets, playing with his genitals.

“The prosecution’s case is that John Stingemore had groomed the boy and at Bexhill, Mr Stingemore brought him to Mr McSweeney so Mr McSweeney could sexually abuse him.

“The prosecution say it was a joint enterprise between the two men.”

The court heard later, in 1998, Mr McSweeney’s cleaner found sex toys and video tapes while putting his clothes away.

The cleaner, Julia Woodyatt, later played one of the videos and saw it was of two young boys engaged in a sex act so reported it to the police.

The jury was told after the revelations of Jimmy Savile, alleged victims came forward and Mr McSweeney was arrested for sexually abusing three boys.

The court was told that when Mr McSweeney was cautioned, he said: “I completely and utterly deny the allegations. At no time have I done any of those things. I am astonished.”