WA Catholic priest guilty of abuse charges

A jury has found a Catholic priest guilty of abusing a West Australian teenager more than 30 years ago, but acquitted him of a rape charge.

Catholic church.

A Catholic priest has been found guilty of abusing a WA teenager more than 30 years ago. (AAP)

A Catholic priest has been found guilty of abusing a West Australian teenager more than 30 years ago, but acquitted of a rape charge.

Glenn Humphreys, 61, was charged with abusing a boy between 1983 and 1986 when the boy was aged 15 to 17.

A District Court jury found Humphreys guilty late on Thursday of four counts of unlawful and indecent assault, but acquitted him of carnal knowledge against the order of nature.

At the start of the trial, Humphrey's defence lawyer Seamus Rafferty said the priest denied all charges and that the rape incident that was alleged to have occurred during a trip to Quinns Rock did not happen.

Humphreys had engaged in inappropriate behaviour on a few occasions in 1986 but at the time his actions were lawful and involved mutual touching, Mr Rafferty said in his opening statement.

Humphreys will be sentenced on October 15.


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