Father Patrick Smythe entered not guilty pleas to four charges of indecent assault when he appeared before Leeds Magistrates’ Court today (December 16)
The 77-year-old is alleged to have committed the offences against four different boys aged under the age of 16 between 1978 and 1983. Smythe, a priest with the Diocese of Leeds, appeared in court for a brief hearing and spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address. Father Patrick Smythe pleaded not guilty to four offences of indecent assault when he appeared at Leeds Magistrates’ Court. The first offence is alleged to have taken place in Leeds between May 1978 and May 1981. The second offence is alleged to have taken place in Leeds between May 1979 and May 1981.
A third offence is alleged to have been committed in Skipton between February 1982 and February 1983. Offence number four is also alleged to have been committed in Skipton between July 1981 and July 1982. Father Patrick Symthe was granted bail until his next court appearance on January 13. District Judge David Kitson committed the case to Leeds Crown Court where Smythe will next appear on January 13. Smythe, of Manor Square, Otley, was granted bail until his next court hearing with conditions that he must not attempt to leave the UK. Smythe’s bail conditions state that he must not have unsupervised contact with any male child under the age of 16 ‘save for which is inadvertent and not reasonably avoidable in normal daily life.’ Smythe appeared in court represented by his solicitor Kenton Sargeant, In a statement, the diocese said: “These are ongoing legal proceedings which are being handled by the statutory authorities, and in order to respect the due process of law, we are prohibited from discussing this matter. “Anyone with relevant information should contact West Yorkshire Police.
“We will keep those affected by this case in our prayers.”
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Harrison Okafor
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Judith is a believer, a lover of Christ and a Gospel freak person. A passionate gospel blogger and press writer. I work with GospelHitsNaija.net Media, no 1 Gospel music platform.
