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Paul West, 62, of Wisconsin, was convicted by a Leflore County jury of one count of Sexual Battery and one count of Gratification of Lust following a two-day trial. On April 12, 2022, Leflore County Circuit Judge Ashley Hines sentenced West to 45 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). West will be required to serve his sentence day for day without the possibility of parole and will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from incarceration.
“Sexual abuse of a child is a heinous crime that deserves serious punishment,” said Attorney General Fitch. “Children looked up to this man as a teacher and a priest. They trusted him and he failed them in every way. My Office will always work tirelessly to protect and defend the vulnerable from predators like this.”
Following the report of child sexual abuse, an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office Public Integrity Division revealed that West, then a Franciscan Brother, sexually molested multiple children during the 1990s while working as a teacher and principal at St. Francis Assisi Catholic School in Greenwood, Mississippi. Although nearly thirty years have passed since West sexually abused those children, the now adult victims provided detailed testimony of the repeated sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of West. Through an independent investigation by the Catholic Diocese, West was also added to their Credibly Accused List.
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