UNITED KINGDOM
Chiswick W4
A former Anglican vicar has been found guilty of six counts of indecent assault including abusing an altar boy at a Church in Chiswick.
John Charles Hibberd, aged 77, was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault, the oldest offence dating back to 1967. He has been jailed for a total of seven years and two months at Kingston Crown Court.
Hibberd worked for the Church of England in West London for many years. On 20 February 2013, one of his victims contacted the police to make aa allegation of sexual abuse by Hibberd dating back decades. When he was younger he had lived in Chiswick with his family and was taken to a local church; St James, Gunnersbury by his mother from the ages of seven to eight years and attended until he was 12. He became an altar boy and Hibberd targeted him for abuse. During the investigation, two other victims were identified and contacted by the police. St. James was incorporated into the Parish of Brentford in 1987.
Hibberd retired to the Isle of Wight over 15 years ago and worked in churches and voluntary organisations on the island.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.