UNITED KINGDOM
Manchester Evening News

A priest says he will voluntarily return from Ireland to face a string of abuse charges involving schoolgirls.

The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Greater Manchester Police to charge Canon Mortimer Stanley, 82, after numerous complaints by former pupils at a Rochdale school.

Today his solicitor strongly denied claims by GMP sources that Canon Stanley was being advised not to attend Rochdale Police Station, and that he may have to be extradited, as, because he is not in the UK, a summons may not compel him to attend.

But GMP said they had been negotiating since August 27 for Canon Stanley to return to Rochdale to be charged.

His solicitor, Peter Hayes, a Partner at Fieldings Porter Solicitors based in Manchester, has now submitted a formal complaint to GMP.

He said he had been engaged in lengthy correspondence with GMP for a number of…