Extradited former priest jailed for 21 years for sexual abuse of boys

Published on Friday 22 October 2010 13:38

A PAEDOPHILE former priest who fled to the United States in 1985 was yesterday jailed for 21 years for 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.

He was extradited from California last year to face trial.

The former Roman Catholic priest moved from parish to parish sexually abusing children, including two altar boys.He 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.

Passing sentence, Judge Patrick Thomas QC, described the defendant as devious and manipulative.

He told Robinson: "The offences you committed were unimaginably wicked and caused immense and long-lasting - we can only hope not permanent - damage to the six victims.

"You used, you abused your position of trust, your position of authority and total trust within the communities that you moved to and from."

Robinson, the judge said, had also abused his personal charisma to pick out vulnerable boys.

Judge Thomas told the disgraced priest: "You enjoyed, I have no doubt, selecting victims, choosing vulnerable children."