Salisbury Parish Priest Faces Sentencing for Child Pornography Offenses

Father Barnaby Dowling, a 46-year-old Roman Catholic parish priest from St Osmund's Church in Exeter Street, Salisbury, pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to child pornography. He admitted to distributing indecent photographs of children, making indecent photographs of children, and possessing 14 indecent images of children.

The court heard that police seized computer equipment belonging to Father Dowling in October 2004, during an investigation into online child pornography. They discovered 116 indecent images, mostly of young girls, on his computer equipment, including a laptop. The images were reportedly found in various forms of pornography accessed online, including chat rooms.

Father Dowling admitted to using a screen name to receive images and forwarding some to other users. His defense attorney, Paul Jones, argued that the offences were "low level" and involved a small number of images compared to other cases. He also highlighted Father Dowling's remorse and the difficult period he had been going through due to a cancer diagnosis and subsequent depression.

The court adjourned sentencing until July 10, citing the need to protect the public and rehabilitate Father Dowling. The presiding magistrate, Dr Pauline Tremlett, emphasized that while the number of images was relatively small, the distribution of some of them made the case more serious. She also acknowledged Father Dowling's remorse and the impact of his illness but stressed the importance of public protection.

Father Dowling has been restricted from any involvement with children within the Church and faces potential consequences within the community he has served for the past 22 years. The media attention surrounding the case will likely further impact his life and career.