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Accusations of Abuse in Institutions

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One News
January 17, 2004

Woodcock back to face charges

A former Catholic priest has arrived back in New Zealand to face child sex charges.

Alan Woodcock, who has been extradited from Britain, flew back under police guard.

The 54-year-old is charged with 34 counts of sexually abusing children while he was a teacher in Silverstream, Upper Hutt and Palmerston North in the 1980s.

Speaking exclusively to One News on his arrival, Woodcock said he was pleased to be back "to resolve matters to everybody's satisfaction".

Nine complainants demanded Woodcock's extradition from Britain where he has been living since 1987.

He arrived in Wellington on a commercial jet on Saturday morning, flanked by police who have investigated the abuse claims.

They had to go to court in Britain last year after the former priest tried to have the case dropped following his arrest in August.

The court turned down his argument that too much time had elapsed since the alleged offences to get a fair trial.

New Zealand police had a month-long window under British law to get Woodcock out of the country. They made it just three days short of the deadline.

Woodcock will spend the next two nights in a police cell in Upper Hutt and will go before a judge on Tuesday