A “HEINOUS, wicked and evil” former church minister who raped and sexually abused six children over an eight year period has been jailed for more than 14 years.

Robert Taylor, 52, of Bowling Park Drive, West Bowling, Bradford, walked into Trafalgar House Police Station and confessed to being “a paedophile and a sexual predator.”

He went on to plead guilty to 17 charges, including six counts of orally raping children, sexual assault of children under 13 and sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Bradford Crown Court heard today that Taylor was an ordained minister of the church and had worked as a chaplain in Bradford. None of his offending was connected to his work in the ministry.

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron said that Taylor handed himself in at the reception desk at the city’s central police station on April 2 and was taken into custody.

He confessed to indecently touching the six children and abusing them.

It was an addiction, he said, and he had stopped after “seeing the error of his ways.”

When Taylor told his family what he had done they could not believe it and thought he was deluded.

Victim impact statements read out in court spoke of shock and horror at Taylor’s “evil acts.”

One woman said she was “absolutely sickened and distraught” by his horrific abuse of children.

Alasdair Campbell, Taylor’s barrister, said: “It is rare for an individual who has committed such heinous crimes to walk into a police station and confess to them.”

He urged Judge Jonathan Rose not to sentence Taylor to life imprisonment or an extended sentence under the dangerousness criteria.

Taylor had stopped offending before he handed himself into the police and had no previous convictions.

Judge Rose labelled Taylor “a perverted sexual predator.”

“You are indeed a dangerous man. There’s a significant risk of serious physical or psychological harm by the commission by you of serious sexual offences in the future,” he said.

He labelled Taylor’s offending “heinous, wicked and evil.”

He was a predator who carefully selected his targets, escalating the abuse.

“It was disgraceful, perverted and persistent abusive behaviour,” Judge Rose said.

He sentenced Taylor to an extended prison sentence of almost 22 years. The custodial term is 14 years and nine months with an extended licence period of seven years.

Taylor must sign on the sex offender register for life and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was made without limit of time.

After the case, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Weekes, of Bradford District Police, said: “We hope that this outcome will allow these families to move forward with their lives.

“We also hope it will encourage other victims to come forward and speak with our Safeguarding Units in West Yorkshire, whose specially trained officers will investigate these matters, take action to safeguard those affected and bring perpetrators before the courts.”