A FORMER Catholic priest who converted to Protestantism and two other men have been arrested in Latvia for allegedly sexually abusing children. The three suspects were friends and exchanged information to help each other find victims throughout the Baltic country, police spokesman Toms Sadovskis says.
They preyed on orphans or boys from dysfunctional families in a string of abuse cases going back at least five years, Mr Sadovskis alleged today.
"Some of the victims were mentally challenged."
He said it was the first police investigation involving a clergyman accused of pedophilia in the country of 2.3 million people.
Police didn't say how many boys had been involved.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia identified the vicar as Agris Levalds, an assistant pastor in the city of Daugavpils in southeastern Latvia.
Church spokeswoman Rita Bruvere said Pastor Levalds, born in 1962, had been a Catholic priest in Latvia before converting to the Lutheran church in February last year.
Police described the other two men as a guard in a children's hospital and a former convict.
They launched the investigation in October last year after receiving a tip about sex abuse at an orphanage. The hospital guard was detained in November, while the Lutheran vicar was arrested last week.
Mr Sadovskis said the two men are in pretrial detention and will remain there until their case goes to trial. If found guilty, they could face up to 15 years' jail.
The third suspect was arrested yesterday and is expected to remain in jail until his trial goes to court, Mr Sadovskis said.
Bishop Janis Vanags, head of the Latvian Lutheran church, expressed shock at the news and said that Pastor Levalds had been thoroughly questioned before becoming a vicar and his answers aroused no suspicions of deviant behaviour.
SIC: NCAU