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| Former Sussex priest jailed over sex abuse against boy | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A former Anglican priest has been jailed for historical sex offences against a boy and conspiring with another priest to abuse the child. | |
| Ifor Whittaker, formerly Colin Pritchard, was found guilty of abusing the boy, who was aged between 10 and 16 at the time. | Ifor Whittaker, formerly Colin Pritchard, was found guilty of abusing the boy, who was aged between 10 and 16 at the time. |
| The 73-year-old also conspired with ex-clergyman Roy Cotton, who has since died, to commit sex acts. | The 73-year-old also conspired with ex-clergyman Roy Cotton, who has since died, to commit sex acts. |
| Whittaker, of Rectory Road, Sutton, south London, was jailed for 16 years. | |
| He was told he will serve a minimum of 10 years in prison. He is already a registered sex offender for life after a previous conviction. | |
| The former rector of Sedlescombe, near Battle, was convicted of seven counts, which also included gross indecency and inciting the boy to commit gross indecency. | The former rector of Sedlescombe, near Battle, was convicted of seven counts, which also included gross indecency and inciting the boy to commit gross indecency. |
| The offences took place between February 1987 and February 1993 in East Sussex, Hove Crown Court was told. | The offences took place between February 1987 and February 1993 in East Sussex, Hove Crown Court was told. |
| The jury was told Whittaker was a "predatory paedophile" and had organised and facilitated the abuse with Cotton, who worked as a priest in Brede, near Rye, in the 1990s. | The jury was told Whittaker was a "predatory paedophile" and had organised and facilitated the abuse with Cotton, who worked as a priest in Brede, near Rye, in the 1990s. |
| He died in 2006 and was never prosecuted. | He died in 2006 and was never prosecuted. |
| The victim, now in his 40s, told the court Cotton had been the main abuser and had "just passed me over like a toy to be borrowed by a friend". | The victim, now in his 40s, told the court Cotton had been the main abuser and had "just passed me over like a toy to be borrowed by a friend". |
| 'Quite forceful' | |
| The court heard the abuse began after he was invited to do gardening work at the church by Whittaker in return for pocket money. | The court heard the abuse began after he was invited to do gardening work at the church by Whittaker in return for pocket money. |
| Whittaker and Cotton "had an agreement" and Cotton would often take the boy to and from Whittaker's house, it was said. | Whittaker and Cotton "had an agreement" and Cotton would often take the boy to and from Whittaker's house, it was said. |
| There were also occasions at Cotton's house when, after abuse had taken place, Whittaker would "suddenly immediately appear in the room as if he had been watching", the jury heard. | There were also occasions at Cotton's house when, after abuse had taken place, Whittaker would "suddenly immediately appear in the room as if he had been watching", the jury heard. |
| Whittaker's victim described him as "quite forceful, quite scary". | Whittaker's victim described him as "quite forceful, quite scary". |
| The jury was told Whittaker had previously pleaded guilty to gross indecency and indecent assault in 2008 over offences which had take place in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire against teenage boys in the 1980s. | The jury was told Whittaker had previously pleaded guilty to gross indecency and indecent assault in 2008 over offences which had take place in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire against teenage boys in the 1980s. |