A retired Diocese of Chichester deacon had been sentenced to 32 months imprisonment for attempting to solicit sex from young boys via the internet.

A retired Diocese of Chichester deacon had been sentenced to 32 months imprisonment for attempting to solicit sex from young boys via the internet. The Rev. Peter Keeley-Pannett (71) of Portslade, Surrey, who served as a non-stipendiary deacon in the diocese until his arrest last November, pled guilty to seven counts of abuse by using a webcam to meet boys in chat-rooms. Judge Robert Fraser of the Guildford Crown Court told Keeley-Pannett that he would have to serve a term of imprisonment as he “remains a high risk of serious harm to children”. Between 2010 and 2012 Keeley-Pannett would met young boys at chat-rooms over Skype and attempted to seduce them. In passing sentence the judge said that although he had pled guilty to the charges and cooperated with the police “there is something very wrong here and something needs to be done.” The court sentenced Keeley-Pannett to 32 months total imprisonment for two counts of making 156 indecent images of children, two counts of causing or inciting a boy to 14 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of cause a 13 to 15 year old boy to watch images of sexual activity, and one count of to cause a boy over 13 to engage in sexual activity. A sexual harm prevention order was also granted which restricts Keeley-Pannett’s use of the internet and communication with young boys.