A former vicar has been sentenced to life in prison after admitting to raping a six-year-old boy in a church building.
Ifor Whittaker, 80, admitted rape and gross indecency with the child in the vestry of St John The Baptist Church in Sedlescombe, East Sussex, where he served as a priest under the name Colin Pritchard.
Whittaker had baptised the boy that he went on to abuse, Hove Crown Court heard.
Sentencing him on Tuesday, Judge Gary Lucie called him “a predatory paedophile” that she doubts will “ever cease to be a serious danger to young boys".
The former Church of England priest is also serving a 16-year sentence for abusing a boy between 1987 and 1991, following a 2018 trial.
He was also jailed for five years in 2008 for abusing two children in Northamptonshire between 1979 and 1983.
He has now been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of eight years before parole eligibility.
Judge Lucie told Whittaker he had been “responsible for committing serious sexual offences” against four young boys over a long period, “whilst abusing your position as a trusted member of the community as a vicar".
"This offending is of the most serious kind," Lucie added.
One of the survivors of Whittaker's abuse, Phil Johnson, was present at the sentencing.
He said the life sentence felt like "moral justice", as the impact on victims is lifelong.
Johnson, who has waived his right to anonymity, said he first reported Whittaker to police years before the incident he has now been sentenced for.
"Had the police and the church taken these allegations more seriously, this offence wouldn't have happened. Whittaker wasn't even suspended from his job whilst he was on police bail.”
Sussex Police acknowledged the initial investigation into Whittaker did not lead to a conviction but stated they have since made "significant improvements" in handling and investigating sexual offences and “remain fully committed to bringing offenders to justice.”
The Diocese of Chichester apologised "unreservedly" for the "appalling abuse" suffered, acknowledging "serious safeguarding failures" before Whittaker's 2008 conviction.
A spokeswoman emphasised the need to prioritise children's safety, listen to survivors, and promptly report concerns to authorities.
