Ex-choirmaster jailed for abusing children

A choirmaster who was able to serve as a school governor despite being accused of child abuse was today jailed for two and a half years.

Peter Halliday, 61, from Farnborough, Hampshire, abused the three boys who were in his church choir between 1985 and 1990.

He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of indecent assault at an earlier hearing and was jailed at Winchester Crown Court.

Judge Ian Pearson said that Halliday had systematically sexually abused the boys and said the offences were so serious only a custodial sentence was appropriate.

He also banned married Halliday from working with children for life and told him that he would be put on the Sex Offenders Register for life and ordered him to pay £2,000 each compensation to his victims.

The court was told that one of the boys told a Christian leader at a camp that Halliday had been abusing him, and a local vicar, Alan Boddington, was informed.

The boy's father and the Rev Boddington then confronted Halliday, who admitted he had abused the boy.

But Susan Evans, defending Halliday, said that the vicar was only aware of one allegation at the time, and the parents of the boy did not want to go to the police.

"In my submission there was good reason in this case for the Reverend Boddington to act as he did," said Miss Evans.

She said that Mr Boddington and Halliday's wife then effectively placed Halliday "on probation" and he was told to leave as choirmaster of St Peter's Church in Farnborough with immediate effect.

He was also told to resign from the church and receive counselling, which he did with his wife.

Miss Evans told the court that Halliday was also told that he could never work with children again, and she said he had never done so, and has only worked with an adult choir from 1997.

She said that he had been on the board of governors of a secondary school from 1988 to 2000 but had no unsupervised contact with children during that time.

Ruth Bowskill, prosecuting, told the court that Halliday used to indecently assault the boys during swimming lessons, camps when they slept over and even at his house.

On one occasion one boy was even indecently assaulted in the shower after he cleaned himself up after taking part in sports, she said.

Miss Bowskill said his victims described him as a "fierce man, bully and a revolting character".

She added that the charges he pleaded guilty to were samples and some of the victims had said they had been indecently assaulted up to 30 times.

The first victim who was aged around 11 or 12 said he went on holiday with Halliday and his family and was invited to call him Daddy but did not do so.

The second victim said he was assaulted in a swimming pool, during a church outing to Winchester when Halliday sat beside his bed and assaulted him and also in bed while at Halliday's home.

Miss Bowskill said the victim "felt earmarked and groomed". She also said that Halliday had kissed him goodbye and said 'I love you' on one occasion.

This victim was the one who eventually told a camp leader who informed the vicar.

The third victim also said he had been assaulted in the swimming pool 20 or 30 times.

A Church of England statement from Guildford Diocesan spokesman Mark Rudall said: "We are completely satisfied that what was done at the time was the way things happened in those days when child protection awareness was on the cusp of serious change.

"Church officers at every level acted in good faith in accordance with what they perceived to be in the best interests of child and family at that time, in that setting - before the law and government guidelines were as they are today."