BIRMINGHAM PRIEST JOHN HERVE IS CLEARED OF CHILD ABUSE
A Birmingham parish priest accused of sexually assaulting two boys has been acquitted and walked free from court after the case against him was abruptly dropped.Honorary Canon Fr John Herve, of St Agatha's Church in Stratford Road, Sparkbrook, wept with relief in the courtroom after the judge at Warwick Crown Court cleared him of all charges.
He was accused of indecently assaulting an 11-year-old boy in the early 1990s and faced additional allegations involving five counts of indecent assault and one count of attempting to rape a young boy aged between 10 and 12 in the late 1990s.
The case was dismissed on the very first day of trial when the complainant refused to testify, and the prosecution decided there was no chance of achieving a conviction.
Prosecutor Peter Cooke stated that one of the complainants was unwilling to appear in court, leading to the decision to proceed with only one complainant.
Ultimately, no evidence was presented for the remaining charges, and the judge entered not guilty verdicts accordingly.
Rex Tedd QC, who defended Fr Herve, explained that the prosecution had opted not to pursue the remaining allegations as there were no realistic prospects for conviction.
Fr Herve, aged 57, had pleaded not guilty to all charges prior to the case collapsing.
Following his arrest in January of the previous year, he was suspended from his duties at St.
Agatha’s after serving as a vicar for 16 years and temporarily stepped down from his role at Ladypool Primary School.
Jessica Foster, Communications Director for the Diocese of Birmingham, acknowledged the difficulties faced by all involved and stated that Fr Herve would meet with the Bishop to consider next steps.
