Jailed paedophile Roman Catholic priest Dennis Finbow, formerly from Cambridgeshire, has had his clerical status and rights as a Catholic priest removed by Pope Francis, following his conviction last year for three historic child sexual abuse offences.
Fr Dennis Finbow, a retired priest of the Diocese of East Anglia, was convicted by a jury at Huntingdon Crown Court.
He had gone on trial accused of five counts of indecently assaulting a girl and one of indecently assaulting a boy.
Following a six-day trial, Fr Finbow was convicted of three counts of indecent assault on a child and found not guilty of the remaining three offences.
He was jailed for six and a half years.
Finbow was charged in January 2022 with the offences relating to his service as a Catholic priest in Peterborough in the 1980s and 1990s.
During his eight years at Our Lady of Lourdes in Peterborough he is said to have boosted the congregation from 200 to 1,000 in two years.
Rt Rev Peter Collins, Bishop of East Anglia said: “As I promised when Dennis Finbow was convicted and jailed last March, the diocese has followed the process of canon law outlined in our policies and procedures,
“I can announce that he has now been laicised, which means that his clerical status and rights as a Catholic priest have been removed by His Holiness Pope Francis.
“We wish to reiterate our willingness to listen and support anyone affected by abuse and all victims of child sexual abuse are in my prayers.
“We would encourage any victim of child sexual abuse perpetrated within the Catholic Church context to make contact either directly through our safeguarding office or with Safe Spaces, our Victim Support Service.”
Finbow was charged in January 2022 with the offences relating to his service as a Catholic priest in Peterborough in the 1980s and 1990s.
Finbow had been retired and not in active ministry since 2001. Prior to his retirement he had served in parishes in Peterborough and St Neots, Cambridgeshire.
Bishop Collins said that should anyone have any concerns or queries about the Dennis Finbow case then he would encourage them to contact Mick Thurley, the diocesan safeguarding coordinator on 07429 215344 or he can be contacted through the diocese website.
Finbow, 74, who lived in Martlesham, Suffolk, at the time of his arrest, denied all six counts of indecent assault.
During his time in Cambridgeshire, Fr Finbow held posts at Littlehey prison, St Joseph’s Church in St Neots and at Dogsthorpe, Peterborough.
The trial was told by the prosecution that when Fr Finbow was interviewed by police he described the allegations as nonsense and “a fabrication”.
Fr Finbow had previously faced a police inquiry – in 2001.
Cambridgeshire police issued a statement at the time saying that despite his arrest on suspicion of indecent assault, he had been released with no further action.
“The decision was taken by police and the Crown Prosecution Service.”
However, Fr Finbow did face an internal probe by church authorities despite being cleared by Cambridgeshire police of an alleged indecent assault.
At the time he had been suspended from his post at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, St Neots, in Cambridgeshire.
Many parishioners “were said to have been in tears at the announcement of Fr Finbow’s suspension by the Church.”
The then Bishop of East Anglia, the Rt Rev Peter Smith, sent a message at the time to Fr Finbow’s church. It was read out at masses.
It reads: “I’m sure many of you will be aware that following the police enquiry there will be no prosecution of Fr Dennis.
“However, the Church’s Pastoral and Procedural Guidelines (1994) require that ‘while legal proceeding may not be pursued through the courts, there remains an obligation on the Church authorities to review the pastoral consequences of such a situation’.
“This review will be undertaken by the Diocesan Child Protection Team during the coming week. Fr Dennis is aware of this requirement and is very calm about it.
“He fully accepts that the Church’s own Guidelines and Procedures must be followed in his own interests and those of everyone involved. In the meanwhile, I ask you to keep him and all those concerned very much in your prayers.”
Leigh Day human rights solicitor Andrew Lord, who is representing survivors of alleged abuse by Finbow, said: “We welcome the Diocese of East Anglia’s decision to remove Dennis Finbow’s clerical status following his conviction for the horrific abuse of a vulnerable child.
“While no action can fully erase the harm Finbow caused, we are encouraged that the Catholic Church is taking measures to hold him accountable. It is crucial that institutions support survivors of abuse and prioritise safeguarding children.”
Survivors who suffered abuse or believe they have information about the allegations relating to Finbow can confidentially contact Andrew Lord at alord@leighday.co.uk
