PRIEST IN COURT OVER ALLEGED INDECENT ASSAULTS OF BOYS
... including at ShalomYouth Project POLICE INVESTIGATION CODENAMED REDSTONE:
A PRIEST who served in North East Lincolnshire is due to appear in court today on a summons for offences of sexual assault.
Father Terry Atkinnson’s appearance wso follows an investigation into alleged indecent assaults ts on boys. Some of the offences s are alleged to have e occurred while he was s involved with St John n and St Stephen Church h Centre, which is known n as the Shalom Youth Prooject, on Grimsby’s East st Marsh. The proceedings are the result of a police operation codenamed Redstone which enquired into non-recent sexual offences.
Father Atkinson, 68, also served at St Francis Church in Cleethorpes and at St Andrew’s Church in Albion Street, Grimsby.
Lincolnshire Police issued a statement to say Father Atkinson, of Tetney Road, Humberston will appear at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court tomorrow. A spokesman said: “A 68-year-old man has been summoned to appear at Lincoln Magistrates Court on Thursday, September 24.
“Terry Atkinson, aged 68, from Tetney Road, Humberston, has been summoned to appear for five offences of sexual assault, contrary to the Sexual
Offences Act 1956.
“The summons follows an investigation into alleged indecent assaults on boys. Some of the offences are alleged to h have occurred d while hl he h was involved ld with St Johns and St Stephens Church Centre, whi which is now known as the S Shalom Youth Project, G Grimsby.”
Father Atkinson was in invited to a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in July 2009 to acknowledge his service to the community as a Church of England priest. He was also the chaplain to the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Sea Cadets Corps from 2006.
He has conducted many fu funerals and led annual serv vices, organised by local f funeral directors, to remember loved ones. Lincolnshire Police invited anyone who needs support to contact Victim Lincs which is a service where victims of crime can receive support regardless of whether they chose to report the crime to the police or not and regardless of when the crime took place. Further information about support is available from Victim Lincs or call 01522 947510.
Support has also been offered at the Diocese of Lincoln where safeguarding staff can be contacted on 01522 504068. The police spokesman added: “If anyone would like to speak to the officers working on the Operation Redstone inquiry, please email OpRedstone1@ lincs.pnn.police.uk.”