A MONK was jailed for four years yesterday after admitting years of sexual abuse against boys.

Father Gregory Carroll, 66, from Ampleforth Abbey, near Helmsley, North Yorkshire, was sentenced at York Crown Court.

In July he pleaded guilty to 15 charges of indecent assault and five counts of gross indecency.

The offences were all committed between 1973 and 1983 when he was a master at Junior House, Ampleforth College, the Roman Catholic boarding school run by the abbey.

The charges were brought after Carroll made confessions when seeing a doctor. He had said that he had assaulted between ten and 15 boys in total.

His connection with the school ended in 1987. Junior House was closed in 1993 when Ampleforth College Junior School was established at nearby Gilling Castle.

After yesterday's hearing, Father Cuthbert Madden, Abbot of Ampleforth, issued a statement.

"Fr Gregory regrets deeply the hurt he caused to the young men involved and to their families," he said.

"His fall from the high standards expected of a man committed to a life of service to God is in no way diminished by the interval of two or three decades.

"As a community, we continue to pray for and to care for our brother, but our first concerns now are for the victims of his abuse of trust, who were boys in our care at the time.

"We publicly offer them our unreserved apology and deep regret.

"Almost a quarter of a century has passed since these events took place, and a great deal has changed.

"In the world of education, the requirements and safeguards for child protection are almost unrecognisable from those applying in those days.

"The measures we have in place conform to best practice and are regularly inspected."