Darlington vicar jailed for third time for historical sex offences

George Granville Gibson was said to have been arrogant about his senior position

A retired archdeacon has been jailed for a third time after being convicted of sexual abuse in the 1970s.

George Granville Gibson, 86, from County Durham, denied rubbing himself against his teenage victim in a church hall and at a party.

He was sentenced at Durham Crown Court to 21 months in prison for twice indecently assaulting the boy, who was aged 17 or 18 at the time.

The court heart the teenager was left feeling embarrassed and humiliated.

He came forward to police after seeing media reports of Gibson's first trial for historical abuse in 2016, when he was jailed for 12 months for indecently assaulting two men in the 1970s.

Gibson, of Wesley Park, Darlington, was also convicted in 2019 and was handed a further 10 months for indecently assaulting a teenager, again in the 1970s.

Judge James Adkin told the former vicar, who became archdeacon of Auckland in the early-1990s, his offending was an abuse of trust.

'Hubristic sex offenders'

Despite Gibson's age and the fact he has cancer, only an immediate custodial sentence could be imposed, he said.

"Hubristic sex offenders in a position of authority must know that they will be sent to prison if they abuse children in that community," Judge Adkin said.

Rob Mochrie, defending, argued the offences could have been dealt with at Gibson's second trial in 2019.

But the judge said Gibson could have avoided this latest prosecution by admitting what he did to this latest victim at either of his previous trials.

The court heard the teenager had been psychologically harmed by what happened and had needed counselling.

The judge told Gibson: "You were, of course, a highly-esteemed member of the community - he was a teenager and considered himself, in his words, a nobody."

A previous independent review by church authorities into Gibson's offending found he was arrogant about his senior position and that complaints about his behaviour were dismissed.