Guilford Crown Court convicted last week the Rev. Roger Wakely of 25 counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 16 years and two counts of attempted buggery on a boy under the age of 16 years between the 1960s and early 1980s.

A retired Surrey clergyman has been sentenced to 13 years imprisonment after having been convicted on 27 counts of child abuse. In a statement released on 13 Nov 2015, Guilford Crown Court convicted the Rev. Roger Wakely (pictured) of Exeter of 25 counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 16 years and two counts of attempted buggery on a boy under the age of 16 years between the 1960s and early 1980s. He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. Six of the offences took place in Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey, with the other offences taking place in London and Leicester. Surrey Police launched an investigation in December 2013 after one of the victims came forward and reported that he had been sexually abused by Wakely between 1978 and 1981 while he was at a pupil at the Bishop Wand Church of England School in Sunbury-on-Thames, where Wakey served as a teacher and chaplain. Subsequent enquiries led police to identify two further victims, who were targeted by Wakely between 1964 and 1972 while he was a teacher at Ealing Grammar School. Wakely was also convicted of a sexual assault against a fourth victim while he was a vicar in the parish of Gaulby in Leicestershire. In a statement released by the Metropolitan Police, Detective Constable Sara McDowell of Surrey Police, who led the investigation, said: “Today’s conviction is the result of a lengthy and complex investigation, which involved working with the Metropolitan Police and Leicestershire Police in order to bring Wakely to justice. Wakely’s predatory behaviour came to light after one of his victims had the courage to come forward and speak out about the abuse he had suffered. This in turn led us to identify further victims, who had all been targeted by Wakely while he was in a position of trust, which he repeatedly abused. I would like to commend the bravery of all four victims in giving evidence and can only hope that today’s conviction will provide some sort of closure for them.”