PETER CRANCH DEVON PRIEST FROM EXMOUTH SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS FOR SEXUAL ABUSE

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the community of Devon and the town of Exmouth, Peter Cranch, a 57-year-old priest, has been sentenced to serve eight years in prison following his conviction for multiple serious sexual assaults against a young choirboy.

Cranch was found guilty of six charges related to the sexual abuse of a boy who was under the age of 16 at the time of the incidents. The court proceedings, held at Bristol Crown Court, revealed that the abuse took place over a span of five years while Cranch was serving as a priest at All Saints Church in Exmouth.

During the trial, it was disclosed that the victim, now in his twenties, endured repeated assaults by Cranch, who exploited his position of trust within the church to carry out these heinous acts. The court heard that Cranch’s history of sexual misconduct with boys extended back to the 1970s, indicating a pattern of predatory behavior that spanned decades.

Cranch’s past misconduct was initially addressed in 1980 when he was subjected to a secret church court. He was demoted and censured after his first conviction, with strict orders to avoid any contact with children. Despite this, he continued his involvement with the church, and it was only after victims came forward in the late 1990s that he was defrocked. In 1999, he received a two-year suspended sentence following his conviction for earlier abuse.

The recent charges and subsequent conviction were based on new allegations that came to light after the case was reported to police. The court was told that Cranch’s actions had caused profound harm to his victims, and the judge, Julian Lambert, did not hold back in his sentencing remarks. He stated, “You took a little boy of eight and groomed him for your sexual pleasure. You stole his childhood by sexualising him.”

Following the sentencing, the victim expressed a mixture of relief and frustration. He said, “I’m pleased with the verdicts but the sentence could never be enough considering what I’ve gone through. I’m just relieved all this is over. There are a lot of questions that need to be asked of those who have helped Cranch to stay in the church.”

In a broader context, the case has highlighted longstanding concerns about the church’s handling of abuse allegations. Back in August 1999, it was revealed that Cranch, then 51, had confessed to his bishop, Eric Mercer, about his sexual misconduct with children. Despite this confession, Cranch was allowed to continue working with young people for over 20 years, raising accusations of a cover-up by church authorities.

Victims and critics have accused church leaders of turning a blind eye to the severity of Cranch’s actions. It was revealed that he had been convicted of molesting a boy during a camping trip in 1980 and fined £500. His private confession to Bishop Mercer about more serious attacks in the late 1970s was never reported to police. Instead, Cranch was privately reprimanded, told he would not be promoted, and ordered to have no contact with children.

Despite these warnings, Cranch moved through various church positions, including a chaplaincy at a hospital in Exeter and later roles at All Saints’ Church in Exmouth. In 1991, a mother’s complaint about inappropriate behavior by Cranch with her son led to his transfer to other churches, including St Sidwell’s and St Mark’s in Exeter.

It was only after one of his original victims, Michael, now 35 and married with three children, came forward that the extent of Cranch’s misconduct was fully uncovered. Michael recounted how a chance encounter with an old friend prompted him to speak out. “He mentioned Cranch’s compunction to abuse young boys and said he had heard about it as recently as 1991 or 1992. I realized that as long as Cranch was working for the Church, he could do the same to others,” Michael explained.

Following the latest court ruling, Peter Cranch has been placed on the Sexual Offenders Register. The church’s acting bishop is expected to recommend to Dr. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, that Cranch’s position within the church be reviewed and potentially revoked. The retired Bishop Eric Mercer, who had previously been involved in handling Cranch’s case, refused to comment on his actions, dismissing inquiries with a curt remark.

As the community of Devon and Exmouth grapples with the implications of this case, questions remain about how such abuse was allowed to persist for so long and what measures are being taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.