Gordon Newton, 40 admits to sexually abusing a three years old

A vicar from West Yorkshire has been jailed for assaulting a three-year-old child. Gordon Newton, 40, admitted to his crimes after his wife discovered indecent images of children on his phone. 

Sentencing Newton at Leeds Crown Courrt, Judge Tom Bayliss QC blasted him as a “hypocrite”. 

Newton was jailed for six years and seven months admitting to six counts of sexual assault of a child and three counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. 

“You hold yourself as a man of God, but you are nothing. You are a hypocrite,” Judge Bayliss said during the sentencing, before describing Newton’s crimes as an “extremely wicked series of acts”. 

“You used that child for your own sexual gratification,” he said. “You placed your needs for sexual gratification of the needs and rights of an extremely vulnerable young child

“You abused the trust of so many others in so many ways. You abused the trust of your parishioners and of the Church of England authorities.”

Police found that Newton had searched for images of young girls and boys between the ages of two and 16 and possessed 70 category A images on his phone – the most severe kind.

In a statement to the court, Newton’s wife Julie said that she had sought therapy following her husband’s arrest and was unable to work full-time due to the trauma of the situation. She noted that her faith had been rendered “non-existent”.

“I no longer know what is real and what to believe anymore,” she said. “I question every bit of my life. Since February, my faith has been non-existent.”

Detective Constable Mark Gregory said: “We welcome the sentence imposed on Newton today for a number of clearly very serious sexual offences.

“Reports of child sexual offending are treated with the utmost seriousness by Kirklees Police and we can promise all reported offences will be thoroughly investigated with full support offered to victims.”

Leeds Crown Court also heard how Newton had confessed to having a sexual interest in children for a number of years.

The Diocese of Leeds said Newton’s crimes were “deeply shocking” and “a matter of deep shame and regret”.

The Diocese added that Newton would be “subject to the disciplinary processes of the church, which will remove him from his office as vicar and prohibit him from exercising his holy orders”.

According to his defence lawyer, Newton recognised that his crimes were “disgusting and vile” and had expressed “genuine remorse”.

Newton will be placed on the sex offenders register for life.