A paedophile former priest who fled to the United States in 1985 has been
given a 21-year jail sentence for a campaign of sexual abuse against
young boys which began in the 1950s.
A jury at Birmingham Crown Court
deliberated for around six hours before unanimously convicting
73-year-old James Robinson, who was extradited from California last year
to face trial.
The former Roman Catholic priest, who worked in
the Black Country, Staffordshire, Birmingham and Coventry after being
ordained in 1971, simply stared at the jury foreman as he was found
guilty of 21 sexual offences.
Robinson, who was brought up in
Brownhills, near Walsall, had denied all the offences, which were
committed between 1959 and 1983.
The court heard that Robinson was
paid up to £800 a month by the Archdiocese of Birmingham until December
2001, despite officials being aware of the allegations against him.
Robinson
claimed in court that he had been unable to afford to return to
Britain, although it was established that in February 2000 he was sent a
cheque for £8,400 by the archdiocese.
Describing the Catholic Church's
role in Robinson's case as highly questionable, Judge Thomas said: "It
is not for me to judge.
"Others may take the view that a full
investigation and full disclosure of the results of that investigation
is due to the members of that church and (Robinson's victims)."
Robinson's
trial heard that he abused his victims, who are now in their 40s, 50s
and 60s, after turning his back on a professional boxing career in his
early 20s to train for the priesthood.
Jurors were told that the
paedophile used his status as a priest to gain "unfettered and
unlimited" access to boys, giving them gifts and taking them on trips in
his sports car.
Unusually, Robinson did not face charges relating
to two of his six victims because they contacted the police after he
was extradited.
Although extradition law prevented Robinson from being
charged with abusing the two victims, they were allowed to give evidence
in support of the other four.
SIC: BT/NI-UK