An Anglican priest who once served in Tony Blair's constituency was yesterday jailed for 18 months after he groped a ten-year-old boy in his vicarage.

The Reverend George Glover, known to parishioners as Father Eddie, was convicted of indecent assault by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court in August.

The 44-year-old, who had denied the charge, was placed indefinitely on the Sex Offenders' Register and ordered to undergo two-and-a-half year close supervision on his release.

Glover worked in Sunderland and Pittington, near Durham, before taking up a post in Mr Blair's parish, at the Church of St Mary Magdelene, in Trimdon Village, County Durham.

There he was accused of starting an affair with a parishioner, but a church court found he had done nothing wrong. He resumed his career in Gateshead.

The court heard how Glover broke regulations about dealing with young people by being alone with the boy despite a recent warning from the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Michael Turnbull.

Glover abused the child in April last year while his wife was out.

Michael Hodson, defending, said the priest maintained his innocence and that his wife was standing by him.

After sentence, the Bishop of Durham issued a statement saying Glover's future in the Church would be determined by Ecclesiastical Law.

It added: "The Church expects the highest standards from all members of the clergy and deeply regrets that one of its clergy has failed to meet those standards."