Peter Turner, formerly known as Father Gregory Carroll, was a monk at Ampleforth College, a Catholic boarding school in North Yorkshire, where he committed a series of sexual offences against young boys in the 1980s. The offences came to light decades later, leading to his conviction and imprisonment.
In 2005, Turner was first sentenced to four years in prison after admitting to offences against 10 pupils at Ampleforth College between 1979 and 1987. This sentence was later reduced by 12 months. Despite this, he had been sent to a parish in Workington, Cumbria, in 1987 following a confession to church authorities about sexual contact with a pupil at Ampleforth. He was recalled and confined to the monastery after the 2001 Nolan Report on clerical child abuse.
Further investigations revealed additional victims. In 2020, at York Crown Court, the then 80-year-old Turner admitted 11 counts of indecent assault, two counts of serious sexual assault, and one count of gross indecency with a child. The victims included three boys: the first, aged between 10 and 12, was subjected to indecent assault and a serious sexual assault in the 1980s at Ampleforth; the second, aged nine or 10, was indecently assaulted in the 1980s in Workington; and the third, aged between 10 and 12, endured gross indecency and indecent assault over three years starting in 1987, also in Workington.
Turner was sentenced to 20 years and 10 months' imprisonment, with an extended year on licence. Detective Sergeant Graeme Bevington of North Yorkshire Police, who led the investigation, described Turner as 'a very depraved individual who targeted these vulnerable young boys for his own sexual gratification more than 30 years ago.' He emphasised the lasting pain suffered by the victims and praised their bravery in coming forward, noting that justice had been served against this 'vile man.'
While serving his sentence at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, Turner died on 6 February 2025 at the age of 85 from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. An inquest on 24 October 2025 concluded that his death was due to natural causes. A report by the Prisons and Probations Ombudsman confirmed that the clinical care he received in prison was of a good standard, equivalent to community care.
This case highlights ongoing issues of historical child sexual abuse within religious institutions, as exposed by reports like the Nolan Report. Teesside Live reported extensively on the matter, drawing from court proceedings and police statements.