Late Queen's Ex-Verger Gets 16 Years For Molesting Boys

The late Queen’s former verger, who molested one Southwark Cathedral chorister and another boarding school boy, was jailed for 16 years yesterday. 

Clive McCleester, 77, once served at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel and oversaw visitors to the Queen Mother’s tomb and helped organise royal funerals. 

He was described as: “Satan in disguise,” by the sister of the first victim as she held her late brother’s ashes in her hand at Inner London Crown Court.

McCleester, who lived in the Grade I-listed Hospital of St. Cross almshouse in St. Cross Road, Winchester will also have to sign the sex offenders register for life and be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Appearing in custody via video link he was told by Judge Jane Rowley: “At the time of the offending you were the Head Verger at Southwark Cathedral and later the Head Verger at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

“Those were great roles roles within the hierarchy and trust within the Church of England and you took advantage of your position to take sexual advantage of these complaints due to their young ages.” 

McCleester pleaded guilty to three counts of indecently assaulting a now-deceased victim on up to 100 occasions between January 1, 1968 and December 18, 1970.

Those counts reflect his time employed as a child welfare officer at Tylney Hall School, Hampshire between 1960 and 1971 before moving on to work at a children’s home.

McCleester lived at the boarding school in his own private residence, with a particular role in looking after the 14 year-old victim after the death of the boy’s grandmother.

After a life of drink and drug abuse to blank-out the memories of McCleester, the victim suffered a massive panic attack when police told him they were investigating the defendant and he suffered a fatal heart attack in August, 2020.

McCleester pleaded guilty to four counts of indecently assaulting the Southwark Cathedral victim between July 28, 1986 and July 27, 1987 and three counts of indecency with a child between the same dates.

This victim was a 13 year-old Southwark Cathedral choirboy, abused at McCleester’s flat within the vicarage.

In his child welfare role McCleester had particular responsibility for the now-deceased victim, but the sexual abuse began on the same day as the funeral of the young boy’s grandmother.

“He took the boy for a walk in the wooded area of the school grounds,” said prosecutor Catherine Donnelly.

There, intimate sexual abuse occurred, continuing in the defendant’s room, where he would strip the boy and molest him - also striking during bath time - two or three times a week.

In a victim impact statement the dead victim’s sister told the court: “He is Satan in disguise and deserves to go to hell. We hope he gets a long jail sentence and rots in jail. For me this man is pure evil.”

The Southwark Cathedral choirboy was invited by McCleester to his accommodation with the promise of Chinese takeaways, plied with wine and sexually abused.

He was also stripped naked and intimately molested by McCleester, who took him to a gay shop and bought him black leather underwear and a skin-tight fishnet vest.

As an adult he even helped McCleester beat a similar charge in 2003, giving evidence at Inner London Crown Court, where the defendant was cleared of abusing another Southwark Cathedral choirboy.

Now 48 years-old the victim told the court in his impact statement: “He fully exploited me for his sexual gratification. He has got away with his vile acts his whole life.”

“The first victim was sexually assaulted by you when he was boarding at Tylney Hall School and you were a child welfare supervisor at the school,” said Judge Rowley.

“He was extremely vulnerable young man and you were assigned to look after him and were tactile and caring towards him, which was all part of the grooming process that led to sexual abuse.

“He said you would take every possible opportunity to sexually assault him.”

Talking to the surviving victim and families of both the judge added: “You have waited patiently for justice to be done as a result of the horrendous acts carried out by the defendant. over many occasions over many years.

“Nobody could have been left untouched by the damage and hurt we have heard this defendant caused and the sad end of the first complainant’s life and the stress and damage he suffered as a result of these horrendous sex acts.”

The judge told McCleester: “The delay has allowed you to live your life in freedom and have enjoyed many years of a successful life, including at St. George’s Chapel, but your victims have not been that lucky.

“You occupied positions of great responsibility at the school and church. These were sustained and systematic abuses for your sole sexual gratification and you gave no thought for the consequences of your victims.”