A Catholic priest who indecently assaulted a boy at a Richmond Council-run children’s home in the 1970s and 80s has been jailed for three years.

Father Tony McSweeney, 68, was found guilty last month of indecently assaulting a boy under 16 at Grafton Close Children’s Home in Hanworth.

McSweeney was also found guilty of three counts of possessing indecent images of children.

At Southwark Crown Court this morning, Judge Alistair McCreath jailed McSweeney for two-and-a-half years for the indecent assault and six months, to run consecutively, for possessing indecent images of children.

The priest, who was described by the victim as “massive” and “a right bulk”, watched the boy in the shower alongside John Stingemore, the former manager of the home.

Mr Stingemore, 72, was due to stand trial alongside McSweeney, but was found dead at his home in St Leonards-on-Sea in January.

Prosecutor Sarah Plaschkes QC told the court Mr Stingemore would touch the boy’s private parts “on the pretence of making sure he was clean” while McSweeney looked on.

Ms Plaschkes said: “This defendant worked together with Mr Stingemore to commit the offence. This was a joint enterprise between the two men for their own gratification.

“The co-defendant was the officer in charge of the care home. The defendant was employed as a residential social worker and was a trainee priest. This is a significant position of trust.

“It took place in the victim’s home where he should have felt protected and secure.”

In mitigation, defence counsel Stephen Spence said McSweeney was a man with no previous convictions and of good character.

He added: “For many years, he gave service to the Scouts and so on. He has been a prison chaplain and a chaplain at schools.”

Judge McCreath said he had to sentence the offences based on the fact the indecent assault was historic and the possession of images had occurred from 2012 to 2013.

He said there were three factors in relation to the indecent assault which indicate McSweeney’s culpability.

Judge McCreath said: “He did what he did with another man so there were two people involved in this enterprise. I note the evidence described Father McSweeney did not himself touch the child but he was prosecuted and convicted on a joint enterprise business.

“The touching of the child was done for his sexual gratification and it makes no difference whatsoever that he was not the one who touched the child.”

Judge McCreath added there was a “serious abuse of trust” as the child victim was living in a residential home to be looked after.

He added a third aggravating factor in the case was the age difference between the victim and McSweeney.

Judge McCreath said: “There is no such thing as a trivial sexual assault of a child. How could there be? There are sexual assaults that are worse than that described in count one but that is not to create some sort of hierarchy.”

Taking into account mitigating factors, Judge McCreath said it would be “unfair” and “unbalanced” to disregard that McSweeney had been a conscientious priest in “almost all” aspects of his calling.

He added: “Although all of this as brought upon him himself, the fact remains the affect upon him as a priest is devastating.”

Along with his prison sentence, McSweeney was given a sexual harm prevention order.

McSweeney showed no emotion throughout the hearing and arrived unshaven and with a small bag to take with him down to the cells.

After a trial last month, McSweeney, of Old Brighton Road North, Pease Pottage, Crawley, was acquitted on three other charges of indecent assault on boys under the age of 16 and one count of taking an indecent photograph of a child.