Vicar faces jail for sexually abusing young boy in the 1970s
Vicar, 89, faces jail for sexually abusing young boy in the 1970s after Church of England promoted him and twice covered up his crimes
- Charles Gordon Dickenson assaulted his victim in the church hall and vicarage
- He had preyed on the boy and had forced him to keep the secret for decades
- The Church of England were twice alerted to his behavior but failed to act
- The victim was interviewed in 2017 while investigating the former Bishop of Chester, Victor Whitsey
Charles Gordon Dickenson (pictured above leaving court) sexually assaulted a young boy and had his crimes covered up by the church
An elderly vicar is facing jail for sexually abusing a young boy in the 1970s after the Church of England promoted him and covered up his crimes.
Charles Gordon Dickenson assaulted his victim in the church hall, the vicarage and even the sacristy where he kept his religious robes.
A court heard that Dickenson, now 89-years-old, had preyed on the boy who attended Christ Church in Latchford, Cheshire and forced him to keep his ‘dirty secret’ for four decades.
The Church of England were twice alerted to his behaviour but failed to act on the information.
Chester Crown Court heard that despite the allegations Dickenson was even promoted to a more senior position within the church at another parish when a female organist reported seeing him hugging the boy.
He was caught when officers interviewed the victim in 2017 while investigating sexual abuse allegations of former Bishop of Chester Victor Whitsey.
The court heard the victim told police it was the first time he had spoken about the abuse after ‘burying it away’, calling it a ‘dirty secret’.
French cardinal once tipped as a future Pope QUITS after…
Priests face arrest if they do not break the seal of…
Philadelphia priest ‘raped a teenage altar girl and FILMED…
Share this article
Christ Church in Latchford, Cheshire, where the abuse took place in the 1970s. The victim wasn’t interviewed by police until 2017
Dickenson admitted to eight counts of sexual assault when he appeared in court yesterday, Wednesday 6 March.
Judge Steven Everett said: ‘He was regarded as a man of God and was wholly trusted.
‘He was put in a position where he could get away with what he wanted – he certainly has never said sorry to the victim.’
Dickenson, of Crewe had ordered his victim not to tell anyone about the abuse and prosecutor Myles Wilson highlighted the multiple times the abuse occurred.
Prosecutor Myles Wilson said: ‘The first incident occurred on a Saturday evening when the church would host dances in the hall, Dickenson told the victim there was a problem with the boiler and lured him into the basement.
‘Dickenson, aged 45 at the time, sexually assaulted the boy and afterwards told him he ‘hoped he enjoyed it but not to tell anyone about it’.
‘A few weeks later, while the church was preparing for Warrington Walking Day, the boy visited the vicarage to drop off decorations.
‘As he went to leave, Dickenson took him into a side room and locked the door.’
Chester Crown Court (pictured above) heard that the crimes took place across the church including in the vicarage
The victim told police he was ‘full of dread’ and was sexually assaulted again. The court heard that the assault only stopped when Dickenson’s wife shouted out his name.
Dickenson then told the boy: ‘I miss seeing you around, I hope you are not avoiding me.’
The third incident took place in the private sacristy after Dickenson lured the boy into the back entrance of the church, telling him others were inside.
He locked the back door and the doors to the sacristy behind him before abusing the boy. This is while on another occasion, he approached the boy outside the toilets before assaulting him.
In one incident Dickenson (pictured above) was only stopped because his wife called his name
After the final incident, Dickenson told the victim his wife was going away and that he wanted the boy to visit him at the vicarage.
The court heard he was moved to another parish and given a promotion after a female organist told her parents she had seen him ’embrace’ the boy.
When confronted by the church warden, Dickenson admitted: ‘I interfered and succumbed to temptation.’
He was appointed as a bishop’s chaplain and worked for another 20 years until retiring in 1994 although he was still allowed to officiate services until 2014.
Dickenson is set to be sentenced later this month at Liverpool Crown Court (pictured above)
A letter uncovered by police from Dickenson to the church, sent in 2009 as part of a vetting procedure, acknowledged the accusation of indecently assaulting a young boy.
It stated that Bishop Whitsey made him ‘promise never to do it again.’
When interviewed last June, Dickenson told police he ‘couldn’t remember interfering with the boy but could remembering being accused of it.’
However, when the archdeacon visited him last year to offer pastoral care, Dickenson admitted his vile crimes.
In a victim personal statement, the victim said: ‘These crimes made me question myself.
‘Why was it me? Was I a homosexual? The shame made me not tell anyone, the first time I spoke about it was in December 2017 to the police.
‘The shame came out in alcohol abuse and the way I treated girls, until I met my wife.’
Kay Driver, defending, said: ‘Dickenson shows genuine remorse and through me, wanted to say how very sorry he is for all those years ago.
‘There was an admission at the time and again in 2009, there were two missed opportunities to deal with this earlier.’
Speaking after the case, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Chester said: ‘We offer an unreserved apology to the survivor.
‘He has shown bravery and courage to share his experiences with the police and we acknowledge how difficult and distressing this must have been for him.’
They added that the Diocese of Chester had provided full co-operation with the police throughout the current investigation.
The said: ‘Anyone affected by today’s news should contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser.
‘Information brought to light to the church in 2009, if acted upon then, may have led to the police bringing a prosecution against Gordon Dickenson much sooner.
‘The Diocese apologises for not acting on this information in 2009.
‘A review will now be conducted into the handling of the case, to identify where any failures in procedures arose and what lessons can be learned.’
Dickenson will be sentenced later this month at Liverpool Crown Court.
Source: Read Full Article