A FORMER monk allowed to work as a Catholic priest in Workington despite admitting he was a paedophile has been jailed for more than 20 years.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told 80-year-old Peter Turner - formerly known as Father Gregory Carroll - that he brought evil into the world through his depravity.

Turner sexually abused two boys after he was forced to leave Ampleforth College, in North Yorkshire, and sent to continue his clerical career at Our Lady and St Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Workington.

He was jailed for today 20 years 10 months after he admitted a string of sexual offences more than 30 years ago against three boys aged between nine and 12.

Turner admitted 11 counts of indecent assault, two serious sexual assaults, and gross indecency with a child.

He had served another jail sentence in 2005 after he admitted offences against 10 pupils at Ampleforth between 1979 and 1987.

Judge Morris told the pensioner, recently living in Redcar: "You have brought evil into this world when, by your calling, you should have brought hope, help and succour.

"You were a priest at Ampleforth boarding school.

"It's a religious school and, no doubt, because of that, that's a comfort to parents because they will be thinking that they are entrusting the care of their child to men of God, instead, in your case it was to a man of evil."

The court heard emotional victim impact statements from the three men in which they spoke about the effect Turner's abuse.

Turner's abused boys at Ampleforth between September 1984 and January 1987, when his victims were aged between 10 and 12.

Tom Storey, prosecuting, said the monk's abuse had been comprehensive.

He told the boy it was their secret and gave him sweets and alcohol.

The victim spoke of being completely dominated by the defendant and completely at his mercy, unable of saying anything or seek help.

Turner was removed from Ampleforth in 1987 - and sent to work in Workington after he told the headmaster about having sexual contact with a pupil.

While in Cumbria, he abused two more boys.

The judge continued: "And so you were shunted off to a parish in a completely different part of the country, a completely different type of place, Workington.

"And then you started again."

One of the Workington victims just nine or 10 when Turner indecently assaulted him in 1987 and 1988.

The boy reported the abuse in 2006 after reading an article about Turner's conviction for abusing pupils at Ampleforth.

But the CPS decided it was not in the public interest to bring further charges as he was already in jail.

The third victim was aged between 10 and 12 when Turner committed gross indecency and indecent assault against him between June 1987 and June 1990.

Turner abused him in the rectory of the church in Workington.

"You abused them in the most vile way, you continued your perversions," said the judge.

"They, too, were innocent."

He added: "Your values were not those of a man of the cloth and you have devastated their lives as well."

The court heard how in 1999 Turner told the headmaster at Ampleforth he had abused more than one boy at the school.

He was recalled from Workington and confined to the monastery at Ampleforth in 2002 after the publication of the Nolan Report into the problem of clerical child abuse.

He was seen by a clinical psychologist who felt obliged to tell the police about his disclosures, leading to his conviction and four-year jail sentence in 2005.

Turner denied abusing any children in Workington until he entered his guilty pleas on Tuesday.

Nicola Gatto, defending, said: "This is going to have a very significant effect on this defendant and the victims listening will no doubt think this is no more than he deserves."