Worthing vicar guilty of possessing more than 22,000 indecent images of children

Vicar David Renshaw, 63, who was made priest in charge of Christ Church in Worthing in December 2019, boasted online about corrupting boys with drugs.

A jury – members of which were offered counselling after hearing the graphic details of the case – found Renshaw had more than 22,000 files of indecent images and videos on a hard drive at his Worthing home.

Sick chats involved sacrificing babies to the devil

The reverend, of Wallace Avenue, Worthing, said he had few limits and could sink really low. Police found rotting dead animals, used needles and drug pipes when they raided his parish property.

The RSPCA seized severely malnourished dogs, cats and chickens. A judge told Renshaw, a vicar since 1985, he faces a lengthy prison term.

Lewes Crown Court in Hove heard it would have taken months to download all the images and video found on the hard drive. The Church of England vicar tried to claim he would not have had time to download all the images and video, telling police: “Sermons don’t write themselves.”

Officers found backups of his online and message app conversations with other paedophiles. Renshaw asked one other user to offer his three-year-old to Satan, the court heard.

Other sick chats involved sacrificing babies to the devil. After his crimes were discovered, Renshaw even tried to frame his own sons telling police they had access to his computers.

In statements read to the court, his sons said they were saddened and disappointed their own father named them as potential suspects.

A jury heard graphic descriptions of horrific child sex abuse videos police found on the drive. The court heard police also found dozens of porn DVDs when they searched his house.

Renshaw initially denied, then admitted he sent social media and chat messages to other paedophiles discussing extreme child abuse.

The former chaplain in a youth offender unit wrote: “I love corrupting boys with drugs.”

In the witness box, Renshaw said he used crystal meth when he was lonely and bored. He told the court chats with other men were just stories and his attempts at counselling them.

Renshaw discussed plans to fly to Indiana to meet a 12-year-old boy and inject him with crystal meth, whilst also abducting boys off the street.

He was on long-term sick leave from his job, and in hospital, when police raided his home on August 11, 2020.

He was cautioned by police for possession of Class A and B drugs in May 2021. The jury did not believe his explanations for his online activity and returned eight verdicts in less than 25 mins on Tuesday (February 7).

They found him guilty of six counts of making and possessing indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images of bestiality and possession of prohibited images of children.

Police investigation

Sussex Police said Renshaw came to the attention of authorities in June 2019 after an illegal image was identified on a file sharing website in New Zealand.

The account was attributed to Renshaw via his email address and IP address, so officials alerted the National Crime Agency.

Police seized a number of devices after obtaining and executing a search warrant at his address in August 2020. A total of 22,504 illegal images were discovered, police said.

The charges, authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service, followed an intelligence-led investigation by the Sussex Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant David Rose, said: “Throughout this investigation, Renshaw has sought to blame anyone but himself. He has failed to accept or take any responsibility for his actions, which I am certain the local parish he represented would be appalled by.

“Through painstaking and careful enquiries, we were able to show that the child abuse images were on his computer, saved under his username and found on a hard drive on his desk. The sheer number of images indicate that they were accumulated over a protracted period of time.

“The search of his address was one of the most revolting tasks our officers will ever have to endure. As well as malnourished living animals, there was also a dead rotting kitten and a dead rotting rat on the floor, in addition to used needles and other drug paraphernalia lying around. It was a deeply unpleasant scene to search.

“It was also a particularly harrowing experience for the officer who had to sift through and grade each image, something that will stay with him for the rest of his life.

“I am grateful to our partner agencies for their support, and to the Diocese of Chichester for their full co-operation throughout the investigation.

“All necessary safeguarding enquiries were carried out and there was no risk to any identifiable children in the case.”

Her Honour Judge Christine Henson KC told Renshaw she was considering an ‘immediate custodial term of some length’.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Chichester said Renshaw was suspended immediately after police searched his address and he has not been in active ministry since.

The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, said the diocese cooperated closely with Sussex Police throughout this investigation.

He said: “Mr Renshaw’s appalling offences involved the possession of thousands of obscene images.

“Following his conviction, further action will now be taken against him under the Clergy Discipline Measure,” the spokesman said.

Renshaw had been at Holy Trinity and Christ Church in Worthing since 2018. He was ordained in the Diocese of Lichfield in 1985. He has been bailed until sentencing on March 13.

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