A priest found guilty of historic sexual abuse of three child victims and a trainee priest has appealed his conviction.

Last month, we reported that Francis Moore, 82, who lives in Largs, was imprisoned for nine years after being found guilty by trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

However, Moore, also known as Father Paul, denied the abuse charges which range from incidents between 1977 and 1996.

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.

In an open online letter to Roman Catholic churches in Ayrshire, Bishop of Galloway, William Nolan said: "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."

In his letter, the bishop also stated that 'Father Paul Moore too needs our prayers' and 'his case must be referred to Rome: a process whose likely outcome is that he will be dismissed from the priesthood.'