MICHAEL HIGGINBOTTOM FROM NEWCASTLE AND UPHOLLAND JAILED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF BOYS AT CATHOLIC COLLEGE

In a case that has shocked the local communities of Newcastle and Upholland, Michael Higginbottom, a former priest, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for a series of heinous sexual offenses committed against teenage boys during the 1970s and 1980s. The conviction follows a detailed re-trial at Burnley Crown Court, where the jury found Higginbottom guilty of multiple counts of serious sexual assault and indecent assault, revealing a disturbing pattern of abuse carried out under the guise of his religious and educational roles.

Higginbottom, now aged 76, was accused of abusing two separate boys at St Joseph’s College in Upholland, a school located near Skelmersdale. The first victim, who came forward in 2016, recounted suffering mental, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of Higginbottom between 1978 and 1979. The second victim, who recognized Higginbottom after seeing a television report about the initial trial in 2017, revealed that he had also been sexually assaulted by the priest during the mid-1980s. Despite the victims attending the school at different times and not knowing each other, their testimonies echoed similar experiences of trauma and exploitation.

The court heard that Higginbottom used his private residence, which served as his personal headquarters, to carry out the abuse. He would threaten the boys with a belt, using it as a weapon to intimidate and coerce compliance. The evidence presented painted a disturbing picture of a man abusing his trusted position within the school and the wider community, exploiting his role as both a priest and a teacher to commit these acts of violence.

Wendy Chappell, representing the Crown Prosecution Service, emphasized the severity of Higginbottom’s actions, stating, “Michael Higginbottom carried out a series of violent sexual assaults, often using a belt to threaten or hit them if the boys were not compliant. He carried out the offences whilst in a position of trust within the school and the community as a priest and a teacher, which he breached in the most horrific way.”

Chappell further highlighted the courage of the victims, saying, “I would like to pay tribute to the two victims for their immense courage in coming forward and re-living their traumatic experiences by giving evidence against their abuser, with the first victim having to re-live it a second time at the re-trial. I hope that following today’s sentence they will be able to find some closure.”

Higginbottom’s initial conviction in 2017 was related to the first victim, but the case was reopened after the convictions were quashed on appeal. The re-trial included additional charges concerning the second victim, leading to the guilty verdict on all counts. The court heard that both victims described being abused in Higginbottom’s private quarters at the boarding school, which catered to boys aged 12 to 18.

The first complainant, who attended St Joseph’s College in the late 1970s with aspirations of becoming a priest, described the school as a “cold, dark and forbidding place,” where he endured ongoing mental, physical, and sexual abuse. Higginbottom’s lawyers attempted to argue that the allegations were fabricated to seek financial compensation, and the court was also told that Higginbottom had previously been convicted of a fraud involving a four-figure sum.

The second victim, who came forward after viewing the initial trial on television, claimed he was sexually abused by Higginbottom during his time at the school in the mid-1980s. Higginbottom, of West Farm Road, Newcastle, denied all allegations, asserting that he could not remember either of the complainants. The court is scheduled to deliver the sentencing tomorrow, concluding a case that has brought to light the dark secrets of a man who abused his trusted position for years.