Former Reading priest jailed for historic sex offences
Brian Rutledge worked at two churches in reading and Woodley in the 1980s
A former priest from Reading has been jailed for nine years for historic sex offences against a boy.
82-year-old Brian Rutledge - from Gosport in Hampshire - was found guilty of three charges including indecent assault on a boy under 16.
The offences all occurred in the 1980s when Rutledge was a parish priest at a church in Reading.
The offences all occurred in the 1980s when Rutledge was a parish priest at a church in Reading.
Rutledge set up and ran a number of clubs for boys, and the victim, who was 15 at the time, was a member of one of these groups.
During a stay at Rutledge’s home, he was sexually abused and raped, and Rutledge told the victim not to tell anyone about what had happened, saying that keeping it as a secret was good practice for when he became a priest.
The victim had woken to find Rutledge sitting on his bed and he told the victim that he had been “chosen” before climbing into bed with him.
The victim was so traumatised by the assault, he gave up any thought of entering priesthood.
“He had no concern for his victim, only for his own gratification. "
Investigating Officer Detective Constable Neil Callaway of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit based at Reading police station, said: “What Rutledge did was a complete abuse of his position within the Catholic church and the local community.
“He had no concern for his victim, only for his own gratification.
“He is now in prison where he belongs.
“The victim in this case has shown incredible strength and bravery in speaking about what happened to him, and I would like to thank him for doing so.
“This conviction shows that when victims come forward and report crimes such as these, they will be believed, and no matter what the passage of time, they will get justice.”