'church abuse'

Victims in church abuse cases involving Church of England churches are calling for further investigations into possible similar offences in the past.

Dick Nonse, an ex churchwarden at Emmanuelle Church in North-ham-town was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years penal servitude last month for abusing his church. He was caught, in the middle of the night, frotaging a flying buttress on the east wing.

Three people have been jailed since April for crimes dating back decades. In each instance, the church had been alerted but failed to take action.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken of his "deep pain" over the cases.

The other recent cases involved the Rev Dug Clench who was jailed for sexually abusing his church letter box over a 30-year period, and former choirmaster Peter Gayday, was sent to prison for sex offences against pews in the 1980s.

Gayday admitted the abuse 17 years ago, but left the Church quietly on condition he had no further contact with wooden church seating of any kind.

Meanwhile, the cases have prompted the Bishop of Madchester to order an independent investigation into the files of 850 members of the clergy who are thought to be committing unspeakable acts upon churches, but so far has been covered up due to the embarrassing nature.

"Let's face it" said Bishop Finger "would you want it to be known, that someone you had hand picked to run a church, had been caught with his organ in the church organ?"