Canon guilty of abusing boys

Canon guilty of abusing boys

Davies abused the boys in his vicarage and on trips

A south Wales clergyman sexually abused two boys in his parish, a jury has found.

Church in Wales cleric, Canon Lawrence Davies - the most senior vicar in Cardiff - was canon at St Paul's Church in Grangetown for 25 years.

His lust for boys as young as 12 was uncovered when one of his targets, who had to undergo counselling to cope with his trauma, finally plucked up the courage to go to the police.

Davies, 62, continued to deny the charges throughout his trial at Cardiff Crown Court, where jurors found him guilty of all 12 charges of sexual assault and serious sex assault.

He was cleared of one charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The cleric, who had earlier been cleared of another charge on the instructions of the judge, is expected to be sentenced on Friday.

As far as I am concerned, he will not be allowed to function ever again

Bishop of Llandaff

He has been remanded in custody.

Shortly after the guilty verdict, the Bishop of Llandaff, the Right Reverend Dr Barry Morgan said it had been "an awful case of abuse over a long period of time".

"All I can say on behalf of the church to these young men is I am terribly sorry.

He also said that more stringent child policy protection procedures were now in place within the church, and that Davies would no longer be able to serve as a priest anywhere in the Anglican Church.

I don't hate him - I feel sorry for him, but I am glad he can't do this to anyone else

One of Davies' victims

Bishop Morgan added an internal tribunal would decide whether to defrock Davies.

"As far as I am concerned, because of the nature of the crime he has committed, he will not be allowed to function ever again," he said.

One of Davies' victims, who cannot be named, said he did not "know whether to feel elated or sad".

"I feel that righteous justice has been served - I don't hate him - I feel sorry for him, but I am glad he can't do this to anyone else," he added.

'Psychologically controlled'

The trial heard the abuse began after Davies was appointed to his vicar post in the early 1970s.

His two victims, one of whom was just 12 when he was first abused, went on to become priests in the Anglican church.

The trial was heard at Cardiff Crown Court

Davies, who admitting watching porn videos, also admitted lying to police about having a girlfriend.

He said he had made up a story because he feared the police would think he was a homosexual.

Earlier in the trial, he was cleared - on the instruction of Judge Christopher Llewellyn-Jones QC - of one charge of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy.

One of Davies' parishoners could not believe the news.

"He will do anything for anybody - nobody could ask for a better parish priest," said Pam Propert.