A whistleblower in the Catholic church has welcomed the jailing of a paedophile ex-priest who was caught online offering advice on how to abuse children.

Timothy Gardner, 53, was jailed for eight and a half years at Newcastle Crown Court after being caught in an undercover police operation.

Gardner was a close associate of Bishop Robert Byrne, who resigned from the Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle amid serious concerns over his friendship with the priest in December 2022.

The diocese's former safeguarding head, Angie Richardson, said she had previously raised major concerns about the bishop's closeness to Gardner but they were ignored.

She said Gardner's jail term, which included a further year to be served on extended licence upon his release, "reflected the seriousness of his offending".

She also said she still had concerns about the diocese, which had chosen to keep a page dedicated to Bishop Emeritus Byrne on its website without any mention of the scandal surrounding him.

"It is really quite insulting," Ms Richardson told the BBC, adding: "The message given out to people of the diocese and to victims is 'this man is incredibly important and he has this status'.

"It appears that his reputation is much more important than caring for victims and survivors and all the people in the diocese who have been left disillusioned."

Bishop Byrne, who has declined to comment, resigned, with the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) finding serious failings in his...

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