A PAEDOPHILE preacher could be jailed for life after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing young boys.

Keith Morton molested one of the children while he was working at a Methodist church in Darlington.

The 43-year-old American was due to be sentenced at court yesterday, but the case was adjourned after more allegations came to light. One alleged victim from the US contacted The Northern Echo after Morton’s last court appearance with claims about sexual assaults dating back more than a decade. Police are investigating.

At Stafford Crown Court yesterday, Judge John Wait told Morton a lengthy jail sentence was inevitable.

Morton was arrested over claims of sexual assault against two boys under the age of 16 while he worked as a lay preacher at a church in Litchfield, Staffordshire, between 2002 and 2004. He admitted ten offences in November, but sentencing was adjourned after a victim from Darlington, where he was based at Elm Ridge Church since September 2006, came forward.

Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to eight new charges, including five of sexually abusing a boy in Darlington between April 2007 and April 2008. The remaining three charges were for molesting a boy in Litchfield in 2007.

While Morton cannot be tried in the UK for any offences that took place overseas, the claims could influence the length of time he spends in jail, and he could face prosecution in the US on release.

Morton was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and served in the army before he studied at university in Florida and New Jersey.

He moved to the UK in 2000 to work with the Methodist church, and spent a year teaching in the Czech Republic before he moved to the North-East. Following his guilty pleas last year, Elm Ridge’s superintendent minister, The Reverend Philip Clarke, said the church was shocked and saddened. Morton was sacked and banned from working with children in the church for life.

The church said all staff were subject to criminal records checks to ensure children were protected.

Judge Wait yesterday adjourned the case until mid- June and ordered that Morton should remain in custody.