Pedophile priest jailed for altar boy abuse

Townsville Bulletin, Australia/August 8, 2006

A pedophile priest who indecently assaulted an altar boy has been jailed for at least two years.

Former Anglican priest Raymond Frederick Ayles, of Cloncurry, in north-western Queensland, was sentenced in the South Australian District Court today after being convicted of three counts of indecent assault.

The convictions stem from his relationship with a boy while he was the priest at an Adelaide parish in the early 1970s.

Judge Andrea Simpson said today Ayles genuinely believed he was in love with the boy, but had grossly abused his position of trust.

Ayles, 61, who faced a maximum penalty of 21 years imprisonment, was jailed for four years with a non-parole period of two years.