A disgraced Catholic priest has been imprisoned for nine years for sexually abusing three children and a student priest,

Francis Moore, 82, who lives in Largs, committed the crimes in various locations in Ayrshire between 1977 and 1996.

Moore, known as Father Paul, was found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The court heard how Moore abused one boy at a school, another at a leisure centre and a third on the beach at Irvine in the 1970s.

He was also found guilty of indecently assaulting a student priest in 1995.

Judge Rita Rae stated that Moore had abused his position as a parish priest and has been convicted of 'despicable crimes'.

She said: “The most serious of these crime involved the repeated sodomy of a little boy aged five.

“In carrying out these crime you took advantage of your position as a minister of religion, a profession from which the public, including children, ought to be able to expect integrity, trust, support and pastoral care. What you did was a gross breach of trust.

“The complainers have displayed considerable courage in coming forward to denounce your criminal conduct.”

Lady Rae told Moore that by going to trial he forced his victims to relive the traumatic experiences suffered at his hands.

One of his victims Paul Smyth, now aged 49, who was sexually abused as a boy on Irvine beach, gave up his right to anonymity.

Outside court Mr Smyth said: “I am glad justice is done and I can finally put this behind me. I am sure there are other survivors who were too scared to come forward. I would urge all victims of historic abuse to go to the police and give their testimony.”

The court heard that allegations against Father Moore were first raised in 1996, but it was not until 2015 that a major police investigation was launched after former top cop and former Labour MSP Graeme Pearson raised the matter in the Scottish Parliament.

Defence QC Gordon Jackson said: “This was a man who did a lot of good in the community. He is a man who has had tremendous difficulties with his own sexuality.”

In an open online letter to Roman Catholic churches in Ayrshire, Bishop of Galloway, William Nolan said: "This abuse may have happened decades ago but the victims who suffered then are still suffering now, since such abuse has long term consequences.

"When the first allegations were made over 20 years ago, they were reported to police, but it has taken until now for the case to come to court.

"This had added to the agony of the victims. I do hope that despite the trauma of having to go to court that they can take some comfort from the verdict.

"I would like to offer my personal apology to the victims; I am deeply saddened and pained by the abuse they have suffered, particularly since the one guilty of abuse is a priest of Galloway Diocese.

The Catholic Church in Scotland has just published new procedures for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

"Much has changed in the last 40 years, we are now much more aware of how common abuse is, and we are much more alert, I hope, to ensuring that it does not take place.

"May I ask you to join me in praying for the victims of abuse and in urging anyone who has been abused to come forward and report it to the authorities.

"Regarding Father Paul Moore, he too needs our prayers. His case must be referred to Rome: a process whose likely outcome is that he will be dismissed from the priesthood."