Former West Midlands priest had ‘dreadful weakness’ for boys, court told

originally published by: Birmingham Mail
4th October 2010

A former Roman Catholic priest with a “dreadful weakness” for young boys moved from parish to parish sexually abusing children over the course of 24 years, a court has heard. James Robinson, 73, is alleged to have committed a string of offences against six boys aged under 16 between 1959 and 1983 at a number of churches in the West Midlands.

He faces 22 charges, including five counts of buggery, two of attempted buggery, 12 counts of indecent assault and three counts of indecency with a child. The former clergyman, whose full name is Richard John James Robinson but was known to parishioners as “Father Jim”, worked in churches in Staffordshire, Birmingham and Coventry until the mid-1980s, when he moved to California.

He trained at Oscott College, Sutton Coldfield, and went on to become parish priest at St Elizabeth’s in Foleshill, Coventry, and Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Cradley Heath. He was extradited from the US in August last year.

At Birmingham Crown Court, prosecutor John Attwood said: “The defendant, Mr Robinson, was sexually attracted to young boys and he used the trust and respect that came with his position within the church to prey in a predatory manner on vulnerable children for his own sexual gratification.”

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Posted by Tippa Naphtali on 04/10/2010. Filed under Breaking News & Digests. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.