A ROMAN Catholic priest who preyed on boys for 12 years was behind bars last night after a judge told him: "You let the church down and brought shame to yourself."

Retired parish priest Noel Barrett, 62, was jailed for 45 months by Judge George Moorhouse, who said he had breached the trust placed in him by the families of the young victims.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday how Barrett had sexually abused 18 boys, aged from nine to 13, while he was at churches in Middlesbrough, Hull and Ireland, between 1971 and 1983.

He pleaded guilty to 15 indecent assaults on two boys from April 1973 to September 1976 when he was at St Joseph's Church, in Marton Road, Middlesbrough, and asked for a further 16 charges to be taken into consideration.

The additional counts related to 16 different boys in Hull and County Kerry, Stradbally and Dublin, Ireland, between 1971 and 1983.

Christine Egerton, prosecuting, told the court that Barrett befriended the families of the two Middlesbrough victims and visited their homes on numerous occasions.

One of the boys was indecently assaulted three times over a two-year period, and the other 12 charges related to another boy and involved touching him inappropriately.

Statements given to the court by both victims told how they lost faith in the Roman Catholic church after the attacks and had suffered psychologically.

The assaults first came to light after one of the victims demanded a meeting with Barrett, which was organised by the church authorities in August 2000, in which he admitted he had abused boys.

He was dealt with "within church rules", said Miss Egerton, but the police were called in two years later when the second victim revealed to his mother what had happened to him as a child.

Defence barrister Adrian Semple said Barrett had been frank with police about the extent of the abuse and pleaded guilty to the offences to spare his victims the ordeal of giving evidence.

He urged Judge Moorhouse to impose a community penalty and referred to a psychological report that showed the priest sought treatment in the early 1970s for his problem but the warning signs were not spotted by the church.

The report also revealed he had not re-offended since the 1980s and concluded he was no longer a risk to children.

But the judge said: "You, as a parish priest, were in a position of trust. It enabled you to befriend families, acquire their friendship and trust, and you did so to your own advantage and indecently assaulted those young men."

Barrett, of Lawrence Street, York, will be on the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life following his release.

After the case, Bishop of Middlesbrough, the Right Reverend John Crowley, said: "Our thoughts and sympathy must go firstly to those assaulted, now adults, some with families, for the hurt and harm they have suffered.

"The diocese has offered support and counselling to them and will continue to do so."