Retired vicar jailed for assaulting young girl

Graham Gregory, a 79-year-old from Huntington, York, was jailed for three years on two counts of indecent assault on a girl under 13 years.

However he was acquitted of two further counts of indecent assault following a retrial at Kingston Crown Court.

Detectives were contacted by a woman in 2012 who claimed that she had been abused as a child between 1969 and 1971 when she lived in Wandsworth and attended the church where Gregory was then curate.

She told officers that he kissed her on several occasions before assaulting her.

A second woman - who also knew Gregory through the same church - informed officers that she too had been abused as a child.

Gregory was interviewed in January 2013 by detectives from the Metropolitan Police. He denied the allegations and claimed not to know one of the women.

He was summoned to attend Kingston Crown Court on December 8 last year to face five counts of indecent assault on a female under 13-years-old, and he was found guilty of two indecent assaults.

After the case Detective Constable Aaron Vardy, of the Met’s Sexual Offences Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “Gregory abused his position as a figure of trust and authority.

“It takes a lot of courage to report this type of crime and in some cases victims feel that they are only able to come forward years after the offence.

“This conviction highlights that regardless of how much time has passed, we remain committed to bringing offenders before the courts.”

Det Con Vardy also appealed to anyone else who might have been affected to come forward.

“I would urge anyone else who may have been a victim of Gregory’s abuse to contact with the police,” he said.

As well as working as curate in Southfields, Wandsworth, Gregory also held positions as a vicar in York, Hastings, Chichester and the Isle of Man.

Anyone who may have been a victim or has any information is asked to contact their local police force on 101.