Former CofE vicar jailed for abusing boys

A retired Church of England vicar and teacher has been jailed for 13 years for abusing four boys over a period of 30 years.

Former vicar Roger Wakely jailed for sex abuse against four boys Twitter

Wakely, aged 73 and ordained priest in 1971, former chaplain at the Bishop Wand Church of England School in Sunbury and former Rector of Gaulby in the Leicester diocese, retired in 1995 and later moved to the Exeter diocese where he had permission to officiate until 2009.

Recorder Tom Nicholson-Pratt told Guildford Crown Court that Wakely had "absolutely no regard for the wellbeing" of the boys he abused.

Wakely was sentenced on 27 counts of various sexual offences, including two counts of attempted buggery, between 1965 and 1982. His victims were four boys aged from 11 to 15. He pleaded guilty to seven of those counts before the start of a trial and the jury found him unanimously guilty on the remaining charges..

Two of Wakely's victims were abused when he was serving as a teacher at Ealing Grammar School. One was abused by Wakely at school and also in his marital home during his time at Gaulby.

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One survivor from his time at the Sunbury school said  his education, religious faith, personal life and marriage had all been affected. Another struggled to cope with the memory of the abuse.

Wakely offered them money, fish and chips and gave one boy an Airfix modelling kit to "keep them quiet". He was arrested in February 2014 after one survivor from Bishop Want went to the police.

Detective Constable Sara McDowell, who led the investigation, told GetSurrey: "Today's conviction is the result of a lengthy and complex investigation, which involved working with the Metropolitan Police and Leicestershire Police in order to bring Wakely to justice.

"Wakely's predatory behaviour came to light after one of his victims had the courage to come forward and speak out about the abuse he had suffered.

"This in turn led us to identify further victims, who had all been targeted by Wakely while he was in a position of trust, which he repeatedly abused.

"I would like to commend the bravery of all four victims in giving evidence and can only hope that today's conviction will provide some sort of closure for them."

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