THE PRIEST who worked in Bournemouth churches, accused of child sex abuse in his native Malta, has been charged with defilement of minors.
Fr Louis Scerri, 66, who worked in Bournemouth churches until March this year, is accused of abusing two children below the age of 12 in Malta in the early 1990s.
If the allegations against him are proven Scerri faces a maximum sentence of six years' imprisonment.
On Friday April 3, police issued a summons against Fr Scerri and his brother Godfrey, a former teacher. Both men face charges of defilement of female minors.
Scerri has spent the last three years working in churches within the Portsmouth diocese, including the Sacred Heart Church on Richmond Hill and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
His faculty to serve was withdrawn in March after the Bishop of Portsmouth became aware of the allegations. Scerri later returned to Malta. A Maltese court is expected to hear the case in the next few weeks.
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