Former Isle Of Wight Priest Jailed For Sex Abuse

9 December 2014, 06:51 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A former priest from the Isle of Wight's starting a six-year jail term for sexually abusing three young boys at churches.

A court heard Michael Feben admitted the attacks back in the 1960s and 70s. They happened in Bournemouth, Windsor and on the Isle of Wight.

The 75-year-old was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment at Reading Crown Court on Thursday (4 December), after pleading guilty at a preliminary hearing to historic child sex offences.

Feben, of Medina Avenue, Newport, Isle of White, pleaded guilty to six offences relating to three victims, all boys, aged between 11 and 13-years-old. He received sentences as follows:

- Indecent assault on male, between 1965 & 1967, at St Edwards Church, Alma Road, Windsor sentenced to two years’ imprisonment
- Indecent assault on male, between 1965 & 1967 (diverse occasions), at St Edwards Church, Alma Road, Windsor sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment (to run concurrent with count 1)
- Indecent assault on male, between 1965 & 1966, at St Edwards Church, Alma Road, Windsor sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment
- Indecent assault on male, between 1965 & 1966 (diverse occasions), at St Edwards Church, Alma Rd, Windsor sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment
- Indecent assault on male, between Jan 1966 & Dec 1966, at a residential address on the Isle Of Wight, sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment (count 3, 4 and 5 concurrent to other counts, but consecutive with each other)
- Indecent assault on male, between 1978 & 1979 at Annunciation Church, Charminster, Bournemouth sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment (to run concurrent with counts 3, 4 and 5)

Investigating officer, Det Con Francesca Worley of the Thames Valley Police Child Abuse Investigation Unit at Windsor said:

“Feben was a priest and aged in his twenties at the time of these offences and continued to offend for decades. This was a gross breach of his position of trust, as he took advantage of young boys who attended his parish.

“These victims are now men, who have waited a long time to see justice done for the abuse they suffered.

“We hope that this sentence encourages anyone who has been a victim of abuse to feel confident that their reports will be taken seriously and can be investigated to bring them justice, in spite of significant time that has elapsed.