Former Anglican Church pedophile priest jailed for second time
A FORMER Anglican priest has been jailed for a second time on child sex offences.
HIS jail term will last just 20 months but, for a paedophile as old and sick as Wilfred Dennis, that could be a life sentence.
The District Court this morning jailed the former Anglican Church priest, 74, for one count of carnal knowledge.
Judge Sydney Tilmouth had earlier found him guilty of having sex with his parish's altar boy between 1975 and 1977.
It is the second time Dennis - who left the Anglican Church to become a priest with a splinter group - has been jailed for sexually assaulting boys in his care.
He served a six-month sentence, in 1970, for crimes against two altar boys in 1968.
In sentencing, Judge Tilmouth said the "striking similarities" between Dennis' offences - and the short time between them - made them too serious for anything but immediate imprisonment.
"An even more disturbing feature is that Justice (Roma) Mitchell sentenced you (in 1970) in the belief that you would not be able to follow this calling, as a Minister of religion, in the future," he said.
"She expressly extended leniency to you on the basis that you would lose your Ministry.
"For some unaccountable and presently unexplained reason, upon release you in fact returned to the Ministry.
"You remain as much now in a state of self-denial as you were all those long years ago."
During the trial, the splinter group's archbishop, John Hepworth, claimed Dennis had admitted abusing more then 40 boys while he was with the Anglican Church.
Throughout his latest trial Dennis denied any wrongdoing, saying his victim had asked him about masturbating after other boys at school had told him about it.
He said he told the boy what masturbation was and allowed him to masturbate in his shower.
Judge Sydney Tilmouth ruled Dennis' testimony was "bizarre" and "unconvincing".
Today, he noted Dennis' poor health - including two heart defects - but said it was not enough to warrant a suspended sentence.
"You are soon to turn 75 so the court must sentence you, effectively, in the twilight years of your life," he said.
"Because of the serious nature of the offence, because it involved a gross breach of trust and because it is a repeat offence, a deterrent prison sentence must be imposed."
He imposed a 12-month non-parole period.