Record details
A "predatory" former Church of England vicar faces spending the rest of his life behind bars after he was sentenced for a third time for child sex offences.
Ifor Whittaker, 80, previously admitted rape and gross indecency of a young boy in the vestry of St John The Baptist Church in Sedlescombe, East Sussex, in the 1990s, where he served as a priest at the time under the name Colin Pritchard.
Whittaker was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of eight years, at Hove Crown Court on Tuesday 19 November.
He is already serving a 16-year-sentence for abusing a boy between 1987 and 1991 following a trial in 2018, and had previously been jailed for five years in 2008 for the abuse of two children in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, between 1979 to 1983.
The court previously heard that Whittaker had baptised the boy whom he later went on to abuse in the incident at the church.
Prosecutor Beverly Cripps previously told the court that the victim described to police being terrified during the attack and that he tried to bury the memories of what happened to him there but "it had come back to him in pieces over the years".
Sentencing him to a discretionary life sentence on Tuesday, Judge Gary Lucie said: "You are a predatory paedophile and have been for many years.
"I doubt that you will ever cease to be a serious danger to young boys but that risk cannot be reliably estimated at this time.
"In my judgment, the combination of offences is so serious that only custody can be justified, and for the reasons that I have already given the appropriate sentence in this case, on count 1, is a sentence of life imprisonment."
Judge Lucie told Whittaker: "You have been responsible for committing serious sexual offences against four young boys over a long period whilst abusing your position as a trusted member of the community as a vicar.
"This offending is of the most serious kind."
In a statement, the Diocese of Chichester, said: "The sentence passed today on Ifor Whittaker, formerly the Reverend Colin Pritchard, reflects the terrible nature of his crimes.
"The victim in this case has shown extraordinary courage in coming forward to report Whittaker’s crimes. We apologise unreservedly to him for the appalling abuse he suffered.
"We wish to acknowledge the excellent work of Sussex Police in this case. Our Safeguarding Team have been working closely with their detectives on this matter since it was reported.
"Mr Whittaker was convicted of child sexual offences in 2008, receiving a five-year prison sentence. He was sentenced again in 2018, again for child sexual offences, receiving a 16-year sentence. He is still serving that sentence in custody.
"Mr Whittaker’s offending, and the history of the Diocese of Chichester’s dealings with him, has been covered in numerous published reports including the Case Study for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
"That history makes clear that there were a number of serious safeguarding errors made prior to his 2008 conviction, for which this Diocese has offered unreserved apologies and from which we continue to draw lessons for our current safeguarding practice.
"This case should remind us of the vital importance of prioritising the safety of children above any other consideration, listening to survivors of abuse, and ensuring that every concern is reported to the statutory authorities without delay."
The Diocese of Chichester referred Mr Whittaker to the Disclosure and Barring Service following his conviction in 2008. He was also barred for life from ordained ministry in the Church of England.
