A WOMAN has described how her husband plucked up the courage to report his alleged abuse at the hands of a vicar when he was a "young lad".

Durham Crown Court heard her describe how her husband’ s behaviour had changed and he had told her of the allegations when she found he had had been visiting gay websites.

Her statement was read out at the trial of retired Church Of England archdeacon George Granville Gibson, who is charged with historical sex offences.

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Mr Gibson, who was a Church Of England vicar in County Durham and archdeacon in Sunderland in the early 1990s, is accused of six counts of indecent assault against two men.

The first set of offences is alleged to have happened between 1976 and 1979, the second between 1990 and 1992.

Mr Gibson, 85, of Worsley Park, Darlington, denies all charges.

In a statement read out to the court the wife of one of his alleged victims said she and her husband were happily married.

At one stage she was shocked and upset to discover that he had been visiting gay websites.

When she found out a second time she confronted him and asked if he was gay.

She said: “He explained that he'd been visiting the site because he'd been confused because of something that happened to him when he was younger.

“He disclosed to me that when he was a young lad involved with the drama group at church he was sexually assaulted by a vicar Granville Gibson."

She said he explained he had been visiting the websites because "he was confused by what had happened and wanted to explore whether he'd been giving off the wrong messages".

He agreed to seek counselling and in November 2018 he "plucked up the courage" to report the alleged historical abuse to the police".

The trial continues. 

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