A paedophile priest told how he wanted to ‘sacrifice babies to Satan’ and fantasised about drugging boys with crystal meth.
Vicar David Renshaw, 63, had more than 22,000 files of indecent images and videos on his hard drive, including animal pornography.
The reverend, from Worthing, West Sussex, said he had few limits and could sink ‘really low’, telling other paedophiles online: ‘I’m a sadistic b******. Through and f****** through.’
His activities were traced by police, who found rotting dead animals, used needles and drug pipes when they raided his parish home. The RSPCA also seized severely malnourished dogs, cats and chickens.
As a jury returned a guilty verdict for eight counts of extreme pornography at Lewes Crown Court, Judge Christine Henson KC told Renshaw he faces a lengthy prison term when he is sentenced next month.
Vicar David Renshaw, 63, of Worthing, West Sussex, had more than 22,000 files of indecent images and videos on his hard drive, including animal pornography
Jurors were offered counselling after listening to graphic descriptions of the downloads.
Renshaw was ordained as a priest in Lichfield, Staffordshire, in 1985 and had all the appearance of respectability, with grown-up children.
In 2020, police traced illegal online activity to a computer at his three-bed semi. The thousands of images would have taken months to download, officers said.
Each clip had been catalogued and filed in folders with names, such as ‘Kids’ and ‘Gay Kids’.
In a desperate bid to deter investigating officers, Renshaw tried to claim he would not have had time to download all the illegal material, insisting: ‘Sermons don’t write themselves.’
But police found backups of his online and message app conversations with other sex offenders.
Renshaw asked one other user to offer his three-year-old to Satan while other chats referred to ‘sacrificing babies to the devil’.
After his crimes were discovered, Renshaw even attempted to shift blame on to his own sons, telling police they had access to his computers.
In statements read to the court, his sons said they were saddened and disappointed their own father named them as potential suspects.
Renshaw was convicted of eight counts relating to extreme pornography at Lewes Crown Court and will be sentenced next month
A jury in Hove heard graphic descriptions of horrific child sex abuse videos police found on the drive.
The court heard police also found dozens of porn DVDs when they searched his house.
Rev Renshaw initially denied, then admitted, that he sent social media and chat messages to other paedophiles discussing extreme child abuse.
In the witness box, Renshaw said he used crystal meth when he was lonely and bored. Meth is known to users as Tina, or T.
He told the court chats with other men were just stories and his attempts at counselling them.
The Reverend also discussed abducting boys off the street, even suggesting he would fly to Indiana to meet a 12-year-old boy and abuse him.
Renshaw was made priest in charge of Christ Church Worthing in December 2019. He was on long-term sick leave and in hospital when police raided his home on August 11, 2020.
He was later cautioned by police for possession of Class A and B drugs in May 2021.
The jury did not believe his explanations for his online activity and returned eight verdicts in less than 25 mins.
They found him guilty of six counts of making and possessing indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images of bestiality and possession of prohibited images of children.
Her Honour Judge Christine Henson KC told Renshaw: ‘I’m considering an immediate custodial term of some length.’
A spokesman for the Diocese of Chichester said Renshaw was suspended immediately after police searched his address and he has not been in active ministry since.
The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, said the diocese cooperated closely with Sussex Police throughout the investigation.
‘Mr Renshaw’s appalling offences involved the possession of thousands of obscene images.
‘Following his conviction, further action will now be taken against him under the Clergy Discipline Measure,’ the spokesman said.
Investigating officer Detective Sergeant David Rose said: ‘Throughout this investigation, Renshaw has sought to blame anyone but himself.
‘He has failed to accept or take any responsibility for his actions, which I am certain the local parish he represented would be appalled by.
‘The search of his address was one of the most revolting tasks our officers will ever have to endure.
‘As well as malnourished living animals, there was also a dead rotting kitten and a dead rotting rat on the floor, in addition to used needles and other drug paraphernalia lying around.
‘It was a deeply unpleasant scene to search.
‘It was also a particularly harrowing experience for the officer who had to sift through and grade each image, something that will stay with him for the rest of his life.’
Rev Renshaw will be sentenced next month.
