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Accusations of Abuse in Institutions

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One News
August 8, 2002

Catholic priest faces extradition

The man accused of indecent assaults on boys at St Patrick's College in Silverstream while he was a Catholic priest is on remand in a London prison.

Alan Woodcock, 54, is being held pending a decision to extradite him to face the indecent assault charges in New Zealand.

Bow Street magistrates heard that the Marist Priest was arrested at Luton airport after returning from a trip to Greece.

He is alleged to have indecently assaulted a 15-year-old boy on several occasions during his time at St Patrick's between March 1 and June 30, 1982.

It is also alleged that seven other victims under the age of 16, who were students at the same school, were also assaulted by the priest during his period there.

The court heard that Woodcock had flown out to Greece on a one-way ticket, during which time his London flat was on the market.

Detective Constable Ron Hay, from the extradition unit at New Scotland Yard, said: "This is a high profile case in New Zealand and it is alleged that for this reason he fled to Greece and returned due to a lack of funds."

Penny Muir, defending, said Woodcock had not practised as a priest since leaving New Zealand in 1995 but had been formally released as a priest at his own request in December this year.

The 54-year-old had been working as a trauma counsellor at Heathrow airport, before he was made redundant in November, as well as a practice teacher for social workers.

She denied any suggestion that the priest had left the UK for Greece because of the extradition hearing.

Instead she said he had left the UK temporarily because he had become suicidal and to fight his addiction to heroin.

When he left for Greece he had no knowledge of the proceedings and returned when he was alerted to them, she said.

"It is not that he fled because of knowledge about the proceedings. Unfortunately he became depressed and had developed an addiction to class A drugs. He wished to leave the country and get away from those selling the drugs," she said.

"Family and friends did their utmost to keep knowledge about the proceedings away from him. He simply did not know about them."

Woodcock had flown out to Greece on a one-way ticket but Muir said he had no intention of living there.

District Judge Nicholas Evans remanded Woodcock in custody to return to Bow Street Magistrates' Court on August 14.