Daily Mail
March 19, 2008
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=539868&in_page_id=1770
A senior Church of England vicar was ordered to attend a sex offenders programme today for viewing shocking internet pictures of a young girl being sexually abused by a paedophile.
Rev Paul Battersby, 58, was turned in by his wife after his 17-year old stepson spotted pornographic images on the clergyman's computer.
The former Church of England National Youth Officer typed "paedo" into a search engine so he could access sordid images titled "10 year old kiddie - she wants all kind of fun with no illusions".
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| Sick: Rev Paul Battersby, 58, used the internet to view sordid images of child abuse. He was turned in by his wife after his stepson spotted the vile images on the family computer |
One of the images Battersby downloaded was of a movie clip of a 10-year old girl being bound and raped by her father.
The second showed moving footage of the same girl being sexually abused and a third was a photograph of a naked girl aged around 12.
Battersby's grim secret was uncovered when his horrified mother called the police following a tip-off from her son.
The video images were described as "very disturbing."
Inquiries revealed the vicar said to be happily married had been having "fantasies about pre-pubescent girls."
Today Rev Battersby who was vicar of St Ambrose Church in Leyland, Lancs was given 34 weeks in prison suspended for 24 months after admitting possessing indecent images of children.
He was also ordered to participate in a community sex offenders group programme and complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Rev Battersby was further ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and was disqualified form working with children indefinitely.
He was told he must not have unsupervised contact with a child under 16 years of age and ordered to pay £150 costs.
Preston Crown Court was told parishioners had handed in character references in support of the vicar but only after he sent round a circular saying: "Urgent appeal for Paul Battersby, he needs lots of hundreds of people to write to him saying what a great guy I am."
Judge Philip Sycamore told Battersby: "It is clear that the images two of which are video images were accessed by you as a result of deliberate and purposeful use of search terms which enabled you to access these images - in other words it was no accident.
"You used search terms such as Vicky, and paedo, which led you to the images in question it was titled "10 year old kiddie she wants all kind of fun with no illusions."
"The public are entitled to expect a high level of responsibility from a person with a position such as yours.
"A position of trust in your community and the wider community indeed the public may well be concerned to know the history of your responsibilities within the Church.
"I mention that in terms of your work with young people, in 1985 and the mid-late 90s.
"Colleagues have written in to support you but they were unaware of the nature of your activities.
"You have breached the position of responsibility in the most disgraceful way."
Shamed Battersby - who studied theology at Durham University - is a qualified teacher who taught chemistry in Liverpool before training for the Church in 1971.
He had been a youth officer in the Lakes, a school chaplain in Argentina and was the National Youth Officer for seven years for the Church of England.
Before coming to Leyland in 2003, Rev Battersby was in charge of the church's community projects in Lancashire as principal officer in the Blackburn Diocese Board of Social Responsibility, from 1994 to 1999.
He was vicar at St Mark's Church in Witton for four years and was previously a rector at St Peter's Church, Darwen At Leyland, Battersby, pioneered plans to build a community centre in St. Ambrose Church and became a finance executive of the appeal raising £330,000 towards its £750,000 target.
But the father of two was arrested in May after his wife Michelle, 45, "raised concerns" about material her son had found on Battersby's PC in his study of adult pornography and of non pornographic images of young girls.
Prosecuting Miss Hilary Banks said Battersby's daughter Anna used the internet for Limewire so she could download pop music whilst the vicar's son used the social networking site Bebo.
Battersby accessed the Limewire site and using search terms recovered by the police he accessed sites containing indecent images of children.
When the vicar realised he had been caught he panicked and threw away a memory stick he used to store pictures.
He later claimed he had started looking at child porn after gained access to Bebo.
"He gave information regards his feelings at the time and described his fantasies with regards to children and adult pornography," said the prosecutor.
"He was frank to the police that he had fantasies with regards to young people."
Detectives visited the Moss Lane vicarage on April 30 and seized computer equipment which was sent for forensic tests.
The rape picture was classed as Level 5 - the most serious in the category of child pornography.
The other two were classified as level four and level one.
In mitigation defence counsel Mr Peter Turner said: "He says he did not watch the full content of the videos he deleted them immediately when he realised what they were.
"He has served his congregation well.
He has had high positions in the Church of England where he was employed as a national youth officer."
Members of Battersby's congregation sent in refrences describing Battersby as a "dedicated, caring, willing, full of for others, a positive influence working with young people and a good hard-working man."
Battersby has since been suspended from the clergy.
The Rt Rev Reade, said: "This is a tragic case and my thoughts and prayers are with all those involved, particularly those betrayed by this criminal activity.
"Many people, including some of the most vulnerable, suffer in such cases, and they need long-term care and counsel for their deep emotional wounds.
"Young children are hurt by these most terrible crimes, and by all those who watch such acts.
"That one of these criminal spectators was a priest, commissioned to share the love of God to all people, is shameful to him and hurtful to the whole Christian community.
"While the Church will always proclaim Christ's forgiveness, it cannot stand by those who betray Christ's love."
A spokesman from the Diocese of Blackburn, said: "The Bishop of Blackburn, the Right Rev Nicholas Reade, has suspended the vicar of St Ambrose, Leyland, following allegations.
"Such suspensions in the Church of England are neutral acts while matters are investigated further."
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