"Nothing Done" over Priest Vickery House "Sex Reports"

BBC News
October 13, 2015

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-34517336

Vickery House in on trial at the Old Bailey

A retired Church of England priest from West Sussex was first reported to police over sex abuse in 2001, but no action was taken, a jury has been told.

Vickery House, 69, of Brighton Road, Handcross, denies eight charges of indecent assault.

The Old Bailey was told Mr House's alleged first victim contacted Devon Police in 2001.

When the married vicar was arrested in 2012 he told police he was "flabbergasted" by the allegations.

Jake Hallam, prosecuting, told the jury the case was about "the sexual desires of this defendant for much younger males".

Mr House is charged with indecent assaults against six males aged 15 to 34 between 1970 and 1986.

They were allegedly committed in East Sussex and Devon while he was a priest.

'Embarrassed and ashamed'

In 1970 the first alleged victim, then aged 14, came under the influence of Mr House when he was a member of a youth church group in his parish in Devon, the court was told.

Being singled out by the accused made the boy feel he had a "special" place in the Church and in the wider world, Mr Hallam said.

But he said the boy was left feeling "embarrassed and ashamed" and did not have the strength to report the assault.

"Mr House used his position of authority to make sexual advances to people which were unwanted but when they were rebuffed he would stop," he said.

"You will need to consider the ability of somebody who was 14 or 15 to rebuff someone in his position."

The boy reported the incident in 2001, Mr Hallam said.

"He went and told police in Devon and made a statement about what happened and for reasons that remain unknown still to this day it seems nothing was done and there the matter rested for some years until the investigation in this case began."

When Mr House was arrested in 2012 he denied the accusations saying he was "flabbergasted and confused".

The trial continues.