Former Windsor priest jailed ...

Windsor Observer
December 9, 2014

http://www.windsorobserver.co.uk/news/windsor/articles/2014/12/09/105952-former-windsor-priest-jailed-for-six-years-for-historic-child-sex-offences-including-indecent-assaults-at-a-windsor-church/

Former Windsor priest jailed for six years for historic child sex offences including indecent assaults at a Windsor church

A FORMER Catholic priest who took advantage of his position to abuse boys at a Windsor church has been jailed for historic sexual offences.

Michael Feben, pleaded guilty to six offences of indecent assault in the 1960s and 1970s on three boys who were aged between 10 and 15 with four of the offences happening in Windsor in the 1960s.

Feben, of Medina Avenue, Newport, the Isle of Wight, was sentenced to six years behind bars after pleading guilty at Reading Crown Court on Thursday.

The four offences in Windsor happened at St Edward’s Church, in Alma Road, between 1965 and 1967.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Francesca Worley of the Thames Valley Police Child Abuse Investigation Unit based at Windsor Police Station, said: “Feben was a priest and aged in his twenties at the time of these offences and continued to offend for decades. This was a gross breach of his position of trust, as he took advantage of young boys who attended his parish.

“These victims are now men, who have waited a long time to see justice done for the abuse they suffered.

“We hope that this sentence encourages anyone who has been a victim of abuse to feel confident that their reports will be taken seriously and can be investigated to bring them justice, in spite of significant time that has elapsed.”

Feben, 75, received the following sentences:

1. Indecent assault on a male, between 1965 and 1967, at St Edward’s Church sentenced to two years’ imprisonment

2. Indecent assault on a male, between 1965 and 1967 (diverse occasions), at St Edward’s Church sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment (to run concurrent with count one)

3. Indecent assault on a male, between 1965 and 1966, at St Edward’s Church sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment

4. Indecent assault on a male, between 1965 and 1966 (diverse occasions), at St Edward’s Church sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment

5. Indecent assault on a male, between Jan 1966 and Dec 1966, at a residential address on the Isle Of Wight, sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment (count three, four and five concurrent to other counts, but consecutive with each other)

6. Indecent assault on a male, between 1978 and 1979 at Annunciation Church, Charminster, Bournemouth sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment (to run concurrent with counts three, four and five)

A further two counts of indecent assault, which Feben denied, have been left on file.

Feben was charged in March of this year.