Police satisfied priest is dead

Police say he died of natural causes in Australia in October 1998

Police say they are satisfied a priest wanted in connection with child sex abuse allegations is dead.

Father Christopher Oliver Clonan left his post in Coventry in July 1992 and has not been seen since.

He had relatives in Australia and two officers from West Midlands Police travelled to Melbourne this week to establish whether he was still alive.

Father Clonan was alleged to have sexually abused young boys in his former parish.

Assumed name

A joint investigation by West Midlands and Australian Federal Police (AFP) had so far failed to find conclusive evidence Father Clonan was dead.

Detectives have established he was cared for by his family when he arrived in Victoria and lived, most of the time, under an assumed name of Christopher or Christie Oliver.

In 2003 the AFP received information he had died of natural causes at his home in October 1998 and his death was reported to local police.

Recent reports of sightings of Clonan whilst possibly given with good intent are wrong and only cause more distress for the victims and their families West Midlands Police

Detectives from West Midlands Police interviewed "a number of persons" after they travelled to Australia.

A statement issued on behalf of Detective Superintendent Dave Mirfield reads: "West Midlands Police are now satisfied that Christopher Oliver Clonan is dead and died on 26 October 1998."

It continues: "The co-operation of his close family has been invaluable and they are now willing to provide samples for a DNA comparison."

Father Clonan had worked for 20 years at the Christ The King Roman Catholic Church in Coundon.

Clonan cremated

Mr Mirfield said reports of recent sightings were wrong and "only seek to cause more distress for the victims and their families".

The Archdiocese of Birmingham issued a statement following the police confirmation of Father Clonan's death.

Press secretary Peter Jennings said: ""The Archdiocese hopes that the full statement issued by West Midlands Police today will finally put to an end the unhelpful speculation that Father Clonan had been sighted in Birmingham during the past few weeks".

"The Archdiocese is grateful to West Midlands Police for the thorough and professional way in which they have conducted their inquiries."

Officers revealed last July that eight complainants - aged between eight and 17 at the time of the reported offences - had accused the clergyman of abuse.

The Birmingham Archdiocese recently agreed a £300,000 out-of-court settlement with one of his alleged victims.

Father Clonan's brother, Andrew, released a copy of the cleric's death certificate last August.

His family claim that they did not have enough money for a traditional burial and so he had to be cremated.