SCOTLAND
BBC News
March 6, 2018
A former altar boy has told a jury how a priest sexually abused him twice on a beach.
The man, now aged 49, said Father Francis Moore attacked him as they dried off after swimming in the sea at Irvine in North Ayrshire.
The care worker said the priest also patted him “in the groin area” as he covered him in sand.
The 82-year-old retired priest denies abusing three boys and a student priest at various locations in Ayrshire.
The High Court in Glasgow heard the offences are alleged to have been committed between 1977 and 1996.
The former altar boy said the abuse took place when he was 11 and Fr Moore was his parish priest.
Prosecutor Shanti Maguire asked the witness: “Did you do any activities with Fr Moore,” and he replied: “We used to do activities as altar boys. Sometimes we would go down the beach, go for a meal or go to the cinema.”
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.