Derby pervert priest scandal: Francis Paul Cullen used his position to intimidate young victims

By Aly Walsh
Derby Telegraph
February 25, 2014

http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Derby-pervert-priest-scandal-Francis-Paul-Cullen/story-20693017-detail/story.html

Francis Paul Cullen spent 18 years working at Christ the King Catholic Church, Mackworth.

A newspaper photograph of Francis Paul Cullen in 1978.

Det Con Matt Goodwin, the investigating officer in the Cullen case.

PAEDOPHILE priest Francis Cullen almost certainly preyed on more victims than those he has confessed to abusing, police believe.

Cullen, who spent 18 years working at Christ the King Catholic Church, on the Mackworth estate, yesterday pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting seven children – four of them in Derby.

Cullen pleaded guilty to 21 charges of abuse against children as young as six, including altar boys, between the 1950s and 1990s.

Investigating officer Det Con Matt Goodwin said it was "inconceivable" that Cullen, who is now 85, had not abused more children during his time as a priest.

He said police would investigate any new allegations made if anyone chose to now come forward.

The Nottingham Catholic Diocese, which covers Derbyshire, said there were no records of reports being made to the Diocese at the time of the abuse. Spokesman Father Andrew Cole said: "There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that anybody complained to the Church."

But at least one victim said he believed his parents did report the abuse to the Church.

Cullen was first charged with sexual abuse against three boys in Nottinghamshire in 1991 but he did not turn up to court and an arrest warrant was issued. The warrant was discontinued in 2000, meaning Cullen was no longer considered wanted.

He was not finally arrested until more than 20 years after he had been originally charged, when Derbyshire police, investigating new allegations against him, tracked him down in Tenerife.

In August last year he was detained under a European arrest warrant and extradited to the UK.

He was charged with offences against one of the three alleged victims in 1991 and two other people, who had been abused as boys in Mackworth and had come forward after Cullen went on the run. Four more victims came forward following publicity about his extradition, and he was also charged with these offences.

Det Con Goodwin said: "These convictions show abhorrent behaviour by this former Catholic priest. He was in a position of trust and his role gave him access to these young and vulnerable children, who he went on to abuse."

Cullen, who used his position in the Church to intimidate his victims, carried out the sexual abuse on church and school premises as well as in his home, a caravan and a hotel.

Cullen's abuse has had "a significant impact" on all his victims and some who were abused repeatedly have been deeply traumatised by the experience.

"The complainants who said the abuse was ongoing were being sexually assaulted when they were going to school and having lessons each week. More often than not it happened on church premises, in the school attached to the church or at his home.

"He abused the altar boys either in the robing room in the church or in the presbytery, where he lived – he would invite a boy back for further teachings and then assault him. Some victims were taken to other premises away from Derbyshire, under the pretence of a trip or driving lesson.

"His main weapon of control was the fact he was a Catholic priest and the power of his position over those in that faith is what kept them quiet.

"A reoccurring theme is whenever a victim realised what was happening was wrong and started to withdraw or go to church less then the abuse would stop."

The first recorded complaint made to Derbyshire police was in 2005 by a man who said he was abused by Cullen between the age of eight and 16 in the 1960s in Mackworth. The allegations were investigated but Cullen could not be traced.

In 2006, a woman told police she had been abused by Cullen from the age of six to 12 in the 1980s, in Buxton.

Over the following years the case was opened and closed three times as new evidence came to light but Cullen could still not be found.

Then in 2011, Det Con Goodwin became involved in the investigation and his inquiries led to the discovery of Cullen's whereabouts.

In 2012, Nottingham Catholic Diocese's safeguarding office contacted the officer and told him Cullen had been in Tenerife for 20 years and regularly attended Mass. Inquiries to Interpol had also confirmed that Cullen had links with Tenerife. Also, at this time another victim came forward – he had been abused by Cullen between the age of seven and 14, starting in the 1950s.

Derbyshire police applied for Cullen to be extradited to the UK for his crimes and he was arrested by the National Crime Agency on August 20. He was charged with abusing three boys – the one who came forward in 2005, the one who reported it in 2012 and one of the boys from Nottingham whom Cullen had been charged with assaulting in 1991.

One of the three victims from Nottingham could not be traced and the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was not enough evidence to charge Cullen with offences against the third victim. Following publicity about his arrest, three new victims came forward as well the woman who had reported it in 2006.

The new victims included a woman who was sexually assaulted by Cullen when she was 13 after he was invited to her home in Buxton to help with discipline issues because she was being "naughty at school".

"He was left alone with her and sexually assaulted her," said Det Con Goodwin.

The others were two boys who had been sexually assaulted by Cullen when he was based at Mackworth in the 1960s – one repeatedly between the age of six and 12 and the other on one occasion when he was 11.

Cullen was charged with offences against these other four victims earlier this month.

Det Con Goodwin said it was difficult to determine exactly what had been reported to the Church at the time because the person it would have been mentioned to had since died.

One victim said he had told his parents about the sexual assault and they had reported it to the Church.

"As far as this victim is concerned a man from the Church, who was higher up than Francis Cullen, came to his house," said Det Con Goodwin.

"He was sent from the room and believes the conversation was about the assault. As far as he is concerned the allegation was not taken any further."