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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Vicar guilty of child sex abuse | Vicar guilty of child sex abuse |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A parish priest has been found guilty of sexually abusing six boys during a period of nearly 30 years. | |
| The Rev David Smith, 52, of St John's Road, Clevedon, took advantage of his trusted position to groom and molest the vulnerable youngsters. | The Rev David Smith, 52, of St John's Road, Clevedon, took advantage of his trusted position to groom and molest the vulnerable youngsters. |
| He indecently assaulted some of his victims during sleep-overs at the vicarage and during holidays abroad. | He indecently assaulted some of his victims during sleep-overs at the vicarage and during holidays abroad. |
| Smith, vicar of St John the Evangelist in Clevedon, North Somerset, had denied all 12 charges at Bristol Crown Court. | Smith, vicar of St John the Evangelist in Clevedon, North Somerset, had denied all 12 charges at Bristol Crown Court. |
| Unanimous verdict | Unanimous verdict |
| He claimed all the offences were a "figment of someone's imagination". | He claimed all the offences were a "figment of someone's imagination". |
| The jury of eight women and four men took two hours to find him unanimously guilty of 10 charges of indecent assault, one sexual assault of a child under 13 and one of sexual activities with a child under 16. | The jury of eight women and four men took two hours to find him unanimously guilty of 10 charges of indecent assault, one sexual assault of a child under 13 and one of sexual activities with a child under 16. |
| The attacks happened between 1976 and 2005 and involved six boys under the age of 16. | The attacks happened between 1976 and 2005 and involved six boys under the age of 16. |
| Smith closed his eyes as the jury foreman read out the guilty verdicts on all the charges. | Smith closed his eyes as the jury foreman read out the guilty verdicts on all the charges. |
| The two-week trial heard that concerns about the vicar were raised with the Church of England on two occasions, first in 1983 and again in 2001. | The two-week trial heard that concerns about the vicar were raised with the Church of England on two occasions, first in 1983 and again in 2001. |
| The two complainants were assured that the matter had been "dealt with", but Smith continued to abuse boys in his parish. | The two complainants were assured that the matter had been "dealt with", but Smith continued to abuse boys in his parish. |
| 'Shocked and horrified' | |
| In a statement the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Right Reverend Peter Price, said: | |
| "The Reverend David Smith has been found guilty of a number of very serious charges. We are shocked and horrified that he has fallen so far short of the very high standards expected of priests in the Church of England," he said. | |
| "We apologise sincerely to David Smith's victims, their families, the parish and all involved in this case. We're very sorry that these offences were committed by a man in a position of trust. | |
| "We've taken all necessary steps to do all in our power to ensure there is no repetition of this situation." | |
| In April in a separate case the Church of England was called "totally irresponsible" for failing to tell police about an ex-choirmaster who sexually abused children. | |
| Peter Halliday, 61, from Farnborough, Hants, was jailed for 30 months after admitting sex offences from the 1980s. | |
| But the BBC learned he had admitted the abuse 17 years ago, but left the Church quietly on condition he had no further contact with children. |