THOMAS WOOD BIRKDALE PRIEST CAUGHT WATCHING CHILD ABUSE VIDEOS IN LIVERPOOL COURT

In March 2018, a disturbing case unfolded involving Thomas Wood, a priest from Birkdale, who was found to have engaged in viewing illegal videos depicting child abuse online. Despite the gravity of his actions, Wood was ultimately allowed to walk free from Liverpool Crown Court, where he faced serious allegations related to his online activities.

It was revealed during the court proceedings that Father Thomas Wood had been actively participating in internet chat rooms late at night, where he joined numerous other individuals in watching highly disturbing and illegal videos. These videos showed children as young as eight years old being subjected to sexual abuse by adults in horrifying and unacceptable ways. The investigation traced Wood’s online activity back to his residence in Birkdale, specifically through his Internet Protocol (IP) address, which led police directly to the presbytery of Our Lady’s church located on Southport Road, Lydiate.

Wood, aged 55 and residing on Liverpool Road in Birkdale, was previously a long-serving priest at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Seaforth. In 2015, he took on dual roles at Our Lady’s in Lydiate and St Gregory The Great. However, his clerical duties came to an abrupt halt when he was arrested in March of the previous year. The arrest was linked to a U.S. investigation into online paedophilia, which involved the use of video conferencing platforms to facilitate abuse.

Prosecutor Simon Duncan explained that the Department of Homeland Security had contacted British authorities in February 2017 regarding the operation, titled Reapplier. The investigation uncovered that Wood had used his iPad to access chat room conferences on the platform Zoom in November 2015. U.S. investigators recorded the videos streamed during these conferences on November 12 and 13 of that year.

On the night of November 12, just before midnight, Wood was among 47 users watching a video depicting children aged between 10 and 16 being abused. He rejoined the same chat room around 1 a.m., where he was part of a group of 50 individuals viewing a girl aged between eight and ten being raped by an adult male. The following night, on November 13, shortly before 2 a.m., he was again among 50 viewers watching two boys, aged 10 to 12, engaging in sexual acts.

When questioned by police after his arrest, Wood admitted, “I may have looked at something on the internet,” but he claimed he was not interested in children sexually. He also stated that he wanted to meet other men and watch them masturbate. During a subsequent interview in June, Wood claimed he had disposed of his iPad because it was faulty. However, police seized his mobile phone and hard drive, which contained evidence of chat conversations revealing his sexual interest in children. Despite this, he continued to deny any inappropriate interest during police interviews.

Further investigation uncovered three temporary internet files, leading to Wood’s admission of possessing and creating three Category A indecent images—classified as the most serious level of child pornography. The court heard that these images and files represented a grave breach of trust and legality.

Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, addressed the court and acknowledged the remorse shown by Wood through a letter he wrote, describing it as “one of the most powerful statements of mitigation the court has ever considered.” The judge expressed regret that someone with such a long history of service and contribution to the community could find himself in such a situation. He remarked, “A good character is far easier to lose than it is to acquire. You acquired it over many years of service in the church. I have no doubt that during that period you were wrestling with demons and that for a large proportion of that time, you managed to resist those demons. But there came a time when the demons got the upper hand.”

Judge Goldstone also highlighted that Wood had used the chat rooms to discuss his own perversions and fantasies with others, acknowledging the profound harm caused to children by such abuse. He emphasized that Wood was fully aware of the damage inflicted on young victims and the serious nature of his actions.

While the court considered whether Wood’s previous good character might mitigate his sentence, the judge made it clear that such factors could not outweigh the severity of the crimes. He stated that a short prison sentence would not serve the public interest or address the underlying reasons for his offending. Instead, Wood was sentenced to a three-year community order, which includes a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement of up to 30 days, aimed at addressing his behavior and preventing future offenses. The judge also noted that Wood had likely lost the right to call himself Father Wood, reflecting the gravity of his misconduct and the impact on his clerical standing.