Church reviews Father Anthony McSweeney's move to Norwich

See http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-32204942 

The Catholic Church is reviewing how it dealt with the transfer of a priest who was found to have indecent videos of teenage boys.

Anthony McSweeney, 68, was last month jailed after he was found guilty of indecent assault between 1979 and 1981.
In 1998, he was found to have pornographic videos while at St Peter's Catholic Church in Essex.
Bishop of East Anglia Alan Hopes is reviewing how McSweeney was allowed to move to St George's, Norwich.
Southwark Crown Court heard how McSweeney and his friend John Stingemore, who died before the trial, assaulted a 15-year-old boy.
McSweeney was also found guilty of making indecent images of children.
The court had heard how a cleaner at St Peter's Catholic Church found sex toys, truncheons and indecent videos in McSweeney's possession.
He was threatened with being "banished" from the priesthood, the court heard, but moved to a new parish six months later.
Bishop Hopes said "questions have been raised" about how the Catholic Church dealt with McSweeney after the items were found.
"This incident was, at the time, referred to the police who decided not to investigate," he said.
"It was, therefore, regarded by the Church as a matter of clergy discipline and dealt with accordingly.
"At that time no allegations of child abuse had been made against Father McSweeney, and no concerns had been raised in that regard."
He said the matter was now being reviewed.

Father Tony McSweeney jailed for abusing boy at children's home

Father Tony McSweeney, a Catholic priest has been jailed for three years for abusing a boy at a children’s home, in the first case to emerge from allegations of a VIP paedophile ring at a guesthouse in south London.

He was arrested in February 2013 at his parish in St George’s, Norwich, where he was a respected member of the establishment. He was a member of the governing body of a Catholic school and at one time had served as part-time chaplain for Norwich football club.

When he was arrested officers found indecent images of boys on his computer, and evidence presented to his trial revealed that he had been offending as far back as the 1970s, when he began training for the priesthood.

His trial heard how for four decades he was an active paedophile, and that the church and the authorities, including the Catholic church, ignored at least two clear warning signs of his sexual interest in children.

For more information see http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/27/priest-tony-mcsweeney-jailed-abusing-boy-childrens-home

Canon Mortimer Stanley's trial due to start on 2 November 2015

Canon Mortimer Stanley, 83, former parish priest in Norden, Rochdale, appeared at Manchester Crown Court on Friday (6 March 2015) via a video link from Limerick in Ireland.
He pleaded not guilty to 19 separate counts of indecent assault involving 10 young girls and will now face a trial in Manchester in November.

Stanley was parish priest at St Vincent de Paul RC Church in Norden, Rochdale, and the alleged victims were all pupils at the neighbouring St Vincent’s RC Primary School on Edenfield Road in Norden.

For more information, see  http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/retired-roman-catholic-priest-83-8786598

Father Anthony McSweeney convicted

 Mail online reports "Father Anthony McSweeney, 68, faces jail after he was convicted of preying on the vulnerable boy while he was working at Grafton Close Children's Home in Hounslow, west London, more than 30 years ago." and that

.... In 1998 McSweeney nearly lost his job when his cleaner discovered his stash of sex toys, truncheons and pornographic videos at St Peter's Catholic Church in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex.

She played one of the tapes and saw it featured two boys between 14 and 16 years old having sex, the court heard.

McSweeney was originally told that he would be 'banished' from the priesthood, but after around six months was quietly moved to a new parish, St George's in Norwich."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2972392/Catholic-priest-convicted-sexually-abusing-vulnerable-boy.html#ixzz3T2citElN

Catholic priest accused of abusing boys 'was caught with child porn and sex toys but was just moved on by the church and escaped police charges'

"A Catholic priest was caught with child porn and sex toys 15 years after he abused boys at a care home but initially escaped police charges, a court heard today.

Father Tony McSweeney, 68, allegedly molested three youngsters at Grafton Close Children’s Home in Hounslow, west London in the 1970s and 80s.

Years later a cleaner discovered a drawer crammed with video tapes and vile child pornography in the video player - but was ignored when she sought help from the Catholic Church, jurors at Southwark Crown Court heard. .............

She said she also turned to the Catholic church for help.

‘It was basically inferred I had misjudged maybe the age of the boys on the video, they told me they were aware Tony McSweeney was homosexual,’ she said. 

The priest was moved from the church ‘some months’ later..........."

Read more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2959046/Catholic-priest-accused-abusing-boys-caught-child-porn-sex-toys-just-moved-church-escaped-police-charges.html#ixzz3SEGD4IsW

Father Tony McSweeney trial begins at Southwark Crown Court - 16 February 2015

See the links below for more detailed reports:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/father-tony-mcsweeney-catholic-priest-5173308

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/former_norfolk_catholic_priest_father_anthony_mcsweeney_abused_vulnerable_boys_court_told_1_3958893