Paedophile priest continued attacks despite warnings

Last updated at 14:57 24 July 2006

A paedophile church minister who used the internet to groom his victims was allowed to continue his "sickening" attacks despite warnings of his activities, police admitted today.

Simon Thomas was also released on bail two years later after he was arrested following a complaint involving a 13-year-old boy and was able to continue offending.

The 44-year-old minister at the United Reformed Church (URC) in Hythe, Hampshire, pleaded guilty last month at Southampton Crown Court to 35 offences, including two of rape against a young boy.

Other offences included taking indecent photos of children and indecency, plus sexual activity with a child.

It has emerged that many of the offences occurred after Hampshire Police investigated Thomas, a married man with four children, in 2003.

The URC informed the police after its disciplinary committee received an anonymous warning about his use of the internet.

The warning, according to URC documents, was with regard to involvement in gay 'chat rooms' on the internet and meeting young men as a result of these contacts. Allegations also included sexual liaisons with young men which may include minors.

But a URC investigation failed to find any evidence of child abuse and, at a hearing, Thomas admitted to visiting gay chat rooms under a false identity and to using "vulgar language".

The minister claimed he was simply pursuing his interests in "computers, young people and sexuality" and he was allowed to continue practising as a minister.

The church did however inform the police, who interviewed Thomas in 2003, but he denied any wrongdoing.

The police decided not to continue the investigation because they felt they could not act on an anonymous allegation.

Neither the church or the police checked his computers in 2003 and he was allowed by the URC to continue using gay chat rooms as long as he did not lie about his age or job. It was through these websites he groomed his victims.

Anonymous warning

A Hampshire Police spokesman said: "In 2003 we received an anonymous warning about Thomas that consisted of unsubstantiated allegations.

"We investigated the claims but could find no hard evidence against him. We decided that, given the lack of evidence, it would not be right to seize his computers."

Thomas was then arrested in July last year after the mother of a 13-year-old boy found that he had been telling her son to perform sex acts in front of a webcam.

He was found to be working as a chaplain at a Boys' Brigade trip in Devon and was arrested and his computers seized to be forensically examined.

It was while on bail for this that Thomas continued to commit some of his most serious offences.

In February this year, police rearrested Thomas when it was realised how serious a threat Thomas was.

A police spokesman said it would not have been possible to have kept Thomas under arrest while the lengthy examination of his computers took place without specific evidence against him.

A URC spokesman said: "The church takes abuse of this nature with ultimate seriousness and is committed to the protection of children and young people - a commitment that is embodied in an exhaustive policy of child protection.

"The church has cooperated fully with the relevant authorities in their thorough investigations of his conduct."

Thomas is due to be sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Friday and Judge Jeremy Burford QC warned him last month that he was considering a life term of imprisonment.

Detective Constable Dave Scorey, of Hampshire Police, said that police believe there may be further victims who had not been in contact with the police and urged them to come forward.

He added: "Mr Thomas has admitted a sickening catalogue of offences against the most vulnerable members of society. He has committed the ultimate betrayal of trust - as a Reverend and pillar of the community in Hythe.

"This case highlights the dangers of children having unsupervised internet access and should stand as a strong reminder to parents of the importance of speaking to their children regularly about who they are talking with and the potential dangers they may face."