A former priest of the diocese of Exeter was convicted today of 13 counts of sexual assault for abusing two boys over 25 years ago. Julian Wheeler (75) was handed an eleven year term of imprisonment by Judge James Adkin, and must serve at lease two thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
At the time of the offenses, Wheeler served as a curate at a nine-church benefice centered on St Mary’s Bideford, Devon and as a teacher in the local school. He served in the Diocese of Exeter from 1975-2003. Wheeler was found to have befriended two boys in the parish and after gaining their confidence molested them. In a statement given tot he court one victim wrote: “I respected him as a teacher and a priest but he took that and used it to manipulate and abuse me. He chose to exploit me. He abused my trust and now he has to live with that.”
In 2017, a victim came forward to the Devon police prompting an investigation. Evidence presented to the court showed Wheeler had made misleading statements to the police, prolonging the investigation.
Detective Inspector Elaine Westerman stated: “This man was in a position of trust. He used his role as a church curate to gain access to vulnerable boys which he went on to abuse. I am extremely grateful to both of the victims for supporting the investigation. We welcome the outcome today and hope that they can find comfort in justice being served.”
The Acting Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Jackie Searle, said: “Today’s sentence is a reflection of the extremely serious crimes committed by Julian Wheeler.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and survivors of his abuse, their friends and families, and all who have suffered as a result of his actions.”
“I hope the justice done today will bring some peace to all affected by this case, including the communities where he lived and worked. It is deeply disturbing and shocking that vulnerable children were abused by a member of clergy who had a duty of care to protect them.”
“Support has been offered to all those who came forward in this case.”
“Our safeguarding team has been working with the statutory authorities and, as per our House of Bishops safeguarding guidance, we will now be reviewing every aspect of this case to establish what lessons could be learnt from it.”
