Father Michael Hill

Father Michael Hill, a Roman Catholic priest, faced sentencing on 21 November 2002 for additional sexual offences against boys, compounding his prior conviction. This development emerged amid broader revelations about paedophile priests within the Catholic Church in the UK, where church authorities were criticised for failing to curb such activities in certain dioceses.

According to a report in The Times on 21 November 2002, Hill had previously been jailed in 1997 for sexual offences against boys. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, in a letter published in The Times that day, admitted it was a mistake to appoint Hill to the chaplaincy at Gatwick Airport despite receiving conflicting psychiatric reports. The cardinal, who formerly oversaw the Arundel and Brighton diocese, denied turning a blind eye to the issue but acknowledged the error in judgment.

The case highlighted systemic issues, with an investigation by The Times uncovering multiple allegations of sexual abuse in five Roman Catholic dioceses: Birmingham, Arundel and Brighton, Cardiff, Salford, and Northampton. Victims included young altar boys, disabled children, young people in church care homes, and boys tutored by priests. Margaret Kennedy, founder of the victim support group Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors, questioned why sex abusers gravitated to 'hotspots' in the West Midlands and South East, where they felt safe due to inadequate oversight.

Hill's impending sentencing on 21 November 2002 for further offences underscored ongoing failures in child protection within the Church, prompting calls for accountability and reform.