Retired priest tells rape jury he wanted to ‘make love’ to his accuser

A PRIEST accused of raping a woman in 1986 told a jury he went to her house to see if she would “make love” with him and said “we never claim to be perfect”.

Retired John Anthony Clohosey, 72, lives in Filey, North Yorkshire, and presided over churches across the north-east of England.

He denies rape and told Newcastle Crown Court that he kissed and cuddled with the complainant on her bed.

Jurors have heard his accuser, who cannot be identified, had asked the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle for help to pay a legal bill and grew angry when she was turned down as the Catholic Church had paid out money to victims of sexual abuse.

She said in an email that she herself had been abused by a serving priest years before, the court was told.

And the woman later told police that she was raped in her own home by Clohosey after he had asked her to have sex with him several times.

Clohosey told Robin Patton, defending, he was happy to agree to a vow of celibacy at the age of 24 when he was ordained.

But he said the purpose of his visit to the woman’s home in 1986 was “friendship I suppose, and to see if she would like to make love to us”.

Clohosey was asked how that reconciled with his vow of celibacy and replied: “Human failings... we never claim to be perfect.”

The defendant, whose last parish was in County Durham, said that during the visit he asked the woman to “make love” and she had said no more than once before she agreed, “jumped up” and went to her bedroom, where he followed some minutes later, but they did not have sex, the court was told.

The trial continues.