Support for the Pervert Priest, Evening Mail, August 15, 2007

Support for the Pervert Priest

Evening Mail
August 15, 2007

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=531890

United Kingdom — A PERVERT priest jailed for sexually abusing young children has been given a message of support from the man who is standing in for him in a Furness parish.

Father Edmund Cotter, who admitted attacking up to 10 girls and one boy between 1972 and 1984, was jailed for five years at Preston Crown Court on Friday.

The offences took place in the 70s and 80s while Cotter worked at churches in Preston.

But the priest who has been looking after duties at Our Lady of The Rosary Church in Dalton while Cotter has been on "administrative leave", believes he has been able to "control his urges".

And Father William Glasswell believes his former colleague has received much support from the community.

He said: "I know him as a very popular and hard working priest who was held in high esteem and high affection by parishioners everywhere he happened to be based.The news has come as a complete surprise to everyone. There has been very much support for him.

FIVE YEARS: Father Edmund Cotter

"According to his statement, he has managed to control whatever urges he had all those years ago through prayer and reflection, to such an extent that no future allegations have been made.

"During the course of these and the press exposure, I am sure people in other parishes would have come forward.

"Really, as a Christian community, part of our faith tells us that with prayer we can become better people and we can overcome the flaws in our character with God's help."

Frr Glasswell, a former London businessman turned priest, said Cotter was active with children in the community and sometimes played football with them.

One of Cotter's victims visited Dalton in March 2006 after finding out he was working at the Dalton church, which has its own primary school. She later went to police in the town to make a formal complaint.

Neighbours who live close to the school told the Evening Mail Cotter was very visible in the community.

One man, who wished not to be named, said: "He was a very nice man."

Another said: "I didn't know him too well but I often saw him down the bookies in town."

Preston Crown Court heard last week that the assaults took place over a 13-year period, with Cotter, now 60, using his authority to silence his victims so they were too frightened to report him.

One girl was told he was "like God" and that if she was not good she would burn in Hell.

A spokesman for Our Lady of The Rosary Church's parishioners said: "What we now want to do is pray for all the victims of these incidents and hope that through our prayers and through closure they can begin now to find healing. As a community we are going to pray."

But the jailed priest did not receive universal support.

Dalton town councillor Dermot O'Connor thinks parents may be worried after their children spent time with Cotter at the primary school. He wants Cotter to apologise to his victims.

He said: "For a priest to behave in that way is a grave breach of trust and confidence. He has been to confession with the church — why wasn't he going to confession with the police? Why was nothing done at that point?

"It's much more than the children involved — it's the families and those who have worked with them.

"It's taken long enough for him to control his urges. Has he said sorry for what's he's done to the victims and those families who trusted and respected him?

"When children are involved I have little or no sympathy for that. If my children had been at the school at that time, I would be very concerned."

Dalton mayor, Councillor Bill Bleasdale added: "This is a regrettable situation."