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Granville Gibson (priest)

George Granville Gibson (born 28 May 1936) is a retired British Anglican priest and convicted sex offender. He was the Archdeacon of Auckland in the Diocese of Durham from 1993[1] to 2001.[2]

Early life and education

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Gibson was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield and Barnsley College. He was a Mining Surveyor for the NCB from 1952 to 1962; then a Field Officer for Boys' Brigade from 1962 to 1969. He studied for ordination at Cuddesdon. He was ordained deacon in 1971 and priest in 1972.[3]

Ordained ministry

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Gibson was a curate at St Paul's, Cullercoats from 1971 to 1973.[4] After that he was Team Vicar of Cramlington from 1973 to 1977; Vicar of Newton Aycliffe[5] from 1977 to 1985; and then Rector of St Michael and All Angels, Bishopwearmouth from 1985 until his appointment as Auckland. He was Interim Priest at St James the Great, Darlington from 2012 to 2014.[2]

Later life and conviction

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Gibson was arrested in April 2014 in relation to historic sexual offences.[6] In August 2016, he was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault, and also "not guilty of one serious sexual offence and four indecent assault charges".[6][7] He had assaulted two men, who were 18 and 26 at the time of the offences, in the 1970s and 1980s when he was vicar at St Claire's Church, Newton Aycliffe.[5][7] In October 2016, he was given a 12-month prison sentence.[8]

In 2018, he was charged with three further counts of indecent assault in the 1980s.[9][10] He denied the charges,[10] but was convicted and sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment in July 2019.[11] A 2017 independent report on the Diocese of Durham's handling of cases involving Gibson, which found that complaints about his behaviour had been dismissed as "drunkenness", and that he had been arrogant about his senior position in the Church, was published in December 2020.[12][13] Gibson was jailed again for similar offences, for 21 months, in November 2022. The trial judge said that Gibson could have avoided this prosecution by admitting to these offences at either of his previous trials.[14]

Personal life

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In 1958, Gibson married Edna (née Jackson), and they had three sons and a daughter.[2] Edna died in 2016.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Church news. The Times (London, England), Wednesday, 24 March 1993; Issue 64600
  2. ^ a b c 'GIBSON, Ven. (George) Granville', Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 2016 accessed 1 June 2017
  3. ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory, 2006-07, 99th Edition, p 297.
  4. ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory 2002–2003 p 277:London, Church House, 2002 ISBN 0-7151-8117-3
  5. ^ a b Sherwood, Harriet (4 August 2016). "Church of England clergyman found guilty of historical sex offences". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  6. ^ a b Unwin, Bruce (4 August 2016). "Downfall of respected senior churchman Granville Gibson convicted of sex assaults and who served areas including Stanhope, Auckland, Barnard Castle, Darlington and Stockton". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Ex-clergyman jailed for Newton Aycliffe sex abuse". BBC News. 31 October 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  8. ^ Unwin, Bruce (4 August 2016). "Retired clergyman Granville Gibson jailed for historic sex abuse". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Ex-clergyman denies historical sex charges". BBC News. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Sex assault accused vicar 'revered'". BBC News. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  11. ^ "BBC News: "Granville Gibson: Ex-vicar guilty of 1970s indecent assault", 10 July 2019". Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  12. ^ Hill, Stephanie (April 2017). INDEPENDENT REVIEW INTO THE CASE OF GEORGE GRANVILLE GIBSON (Report). Durham Diocesan Safeguarding Management Group – via Google Drive.
  13. ^ Greenwood, David (21 December 2020). "Report on the Diocese of Durham handling of the cases of former Rev Granville Gibson". Switalskis Solicitors. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Retired C of E archdeacon jailed for third time for 1970s sexual abuse". The Guardian. PA Media. 24 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Northern Echo: "Deaths: Edna Gibson", 15 January 2016". Retrieved 2 January 2021.
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