Police are hunting a Catholic cleric accused of historic sex offences in west London after he failed to return to a police station for questioning.
Father Laurence Soper is wanted over allegations of child abuse, reported to date back to when he taught at St Benedict's School, a private independent Catholic school which is part of Ealing Abbey in west London.
Fr Soper, who was abbot of Ealing Abbey from 1991 to 2000, is believed to have been living in a monastery in Rome, but was due to return to London to answer bail in March.
He failed to show up and police are now looking for him, with possibilities of a European Arrest Warrant being issued if he is thought to be somewhere in Europe.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "An 80-year-old man was arrested on September 22 on suspicion of an historic sexual assault.
"He was bailed to a west London police station to March 2011. The man failed to appear and inquiries are being made to trace him."
A message on Ealing Abbey's website from Abbot Martin Shipperlee condemned his predecessor's failure to co-operate with police. It said: "Dear Parishioners, many of you will have read news reports concerning my predecessor as abbot, Fr Laurence. Accusations have been made against him concerning offences against children.
"Early in March he left the monastery in Rome where he had been living to travel to London for an appointment with the police. Unfortunately he failed to keep that appointment and we have heard nothing from him since and all efforts to contact him have been without success.
"On previous occasions he had returned by arrangement to meet with the police and he was trusted to do so. I cannot comment on the details of the police investigation but I must condemn without reservation his failure to co-operate with them.
"I have not made any statement about this before at the request of the police. Please keep in your prayers all those who have been hurt by what Fr Laurence has done."
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