Wife Finds More Than 270 Nude Photos Of Young Girls On Her Husband Pastor's Phone

A pedophile pastor who sexually abused a young child was sentenced to prison and dubbed a "hypocrite" by a crown court judge for "abusing the confidence of so many."

Gordon Newton of Huddersfield in England admitted to six charges of sexual assault on a child. He is also facing three counts of engaging in sexual conduct in the presence of a minor, calling his actions disgusting and filthy.

Leeds Crown Court heard that the 40-year-terrified old's wife also discovered a phone with 276 indecent photos and gave it over to the police, BBC said. The wife compelled him to accept his guilt and shame.

Yorkshire Live, citing prosecutor Julian Jones, said Newton had searched for photographs of young girls and boys between the ages of two and 16 and had 70 category A images on his phone.

One of the search keywords was for photographs of children under the age of three, while another was for urinating pictures.

Newton's wife said she had to go to counseling as a result of his wrongdoing. Still, more alarmingly, she had began to doubt her own faith, according to a distressing statement read to the court.

"I no longer know what is real and what to believe anymore. I question every bit of my life. Since February, my faith has been non-existent," he said.

Newton, who wore glasses and a blue and grey polo shirt when he appeared via videolink from prison, was sentenced to six years and seven months in prison and will serve a three-year extended license period.

Judge Tom Bayliss QC said Newton's position became "untenable" with the discovery of the phone containing indecent photos.

He told him: "You hold yourself as a man of God, but you are nothing. You are a hypocrite."

Judge Bayliss called his offenses a very nasty set of activities. He said the offender abused the confidence of so many individuals in so many ways.

Bayliss added: "You used that child for your own sexual gratification. You placed your needs for sexual gratification of the needs and rights of an extremely vulnerable young child."

Newton, of Huddersfield's Cross Church Street, also guilty to three charges of creating indecent pictures.

He'll remain on the sex offenders' registry for the rest of his life, and a sexual harm prevention order has been issued for the same period.

Newton's lawyer, Kitty Colley, said he was aware of his offenses being "disgusting and filthy," and that he felt "real regret" for them.

Newton's "truly disturbing" actions were "a subject of tremendous shame and remorse," according to a spokesperson for the Diocese of Leeds.

He would be "subject to the church's disciplinary measures, which will remove him from his post as vicar and prevent him from using his holy orders," according to them.