Paedophile priest jailed again after abusing five children

A “manipulative and predatory” Catholic priest has been jailed for 11 years after abusing five children as young as eight.

Dennis Finbow, 77, is already serving a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for sexually abusing a young girl in the 1980s while he worked in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough.

I represent one of Finbow’s survivors and attended the sentencing at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday 10 October.

The court heard how he carried out 15 counts of indecent assault against three females and two males between 1975 and 1992 – including three who were eight and nine years old at the time of the abuse.

Powerful victim impact statements were given by each of the survivors, who spoke of how Finbow “shattered the trust placed in him” and that the psychological effects of his abuse had “reverberated” through the rest of their lives, with devastating effects on their mental health, personal relationships and careers.

During sentencing, the judge told Finbow he is a “manipulative and predatory paedophile”, adding: “It is difficult to imagine a greater perversion of the role that you held and the ministry you were meant to be engaging in.”

In addition to his custodial sentence, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was made against Finbow.

Finbow, who served in the Diocese of East Anglia, had already been placed on the sex offenders register for life, and the Catholic Church had removed his clerical status following his 2023 conviction.

Although today’s sentence will not erase the harm caused, it brings a measure of justice for Finbow’s survivors who have waited a long time to see him held accountable.

The Catholic Church has questions to answer about how Finbow was able to use his position to abuse children for so long.

Survivors who suffered abuse or believe they have information about the allegations relating to Finbow can confidentially contact me at hayleychapman-todd@bbkllp.co.uk.