Full Breakdown
Former Wolverhampton Priest Receives Community Order for Historic Abuse
7/21/2026, 12:45:39 AM
Court Verdict and Sentencing
Edwards Phillips-Smith, 76, pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court to indecently assaulting an 11-year-old boy and inciting him to commit a gross indecency in his flat at St Peter’s Collegiate School, Wolverhampton, between 1978 and 1980. He also admitted to indecently assaulting a second boy under 14 and inciting a gross indecency in Brewood, Staffordshire, between 1982 and 1983. Citing his terminal cancer, the judge imposed a two-year community order. Phillips-Smith had previously served a 32-month prison term after a January 2024 conviction for similar abuse and was released on licence in May 2025.
Background and Prior Conviction
A former school chaplain known to pupils as “Father Eddie,” Phillips-Smith lives in Essex. His earlier conviction stemmed from abuse of St Peter’s schoolboys at his Brewood home in the 1980s. The recent community order follows his earlier imprisonment and reflects the court’s consideration of his deteriorating health.
Victim Impact and Official Responses
Prosecution counsel Andrew Wallace told the court that media coverage of the 2024 case prompted two additional complainants to come forward. He described how the first victim, then 12 or 13 and a St Peter’s pupil, was lured by a “cool and trendy teacher” with a Scalextric set, after which Phillips-Smith became “irritated” and led the boy to his bedroom for the assault.
A victim impact statement read by Wallace detailed lasting paranoia, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, “dark dreams,” and a sense of being “deprived of the sanctuary and comfort” expected in places of worship.
Verbatim Quotes
- “selfish and repulsive crime” — Victim, impact statement
- “suffer in silent pain” — Victim, impact statement
- “cool and trendy teacher” — Prosecution counsel Andrew Wallace
- “irritated” — Prosecution counsel Andrew Wallace
- “The boy followed the priest into the room, where Phillips-Smith undressed him and lay next to him on his bed, before assaulting him and encouraging him to perform a sex act.” — Court testimony
These statements and the court’s ruling illustrate the enduring consequences of historic abuse and the legal system’s response when the offender’s health is a mitigating factor.
