Georg K.,* a 56-year-old former Catholic priest from Krefeld in western Germany, was sentenced to six years in jail on Friday after being found guilty on charges of sexual abuse of minors.

Presiding judge Herbert Luczak accused the defendant of having selfishly sought out two young boys as sexual partners and keeping the consequences of their actions hidden from the victims. The six-year sentence is even more time than was originally sought by the prosecution.

Georg K. was charged with abusing two brothers, aged between 11 and 15, from 2001 to 2007. He had already been suspended by the diocese of Aachen. Similar charges have been leveled against him in South Africa, where he lived and preached after 2007.

The ex-priest asked the family of his victims for forgiveness, saying he was "sincerely sorry." Prosecutor Sabine Grüter criticized the defendant for not revealing any more details of his crimes, with which he could possibly have received a milder sentence. She also dismissed his signs of remorse as "lip service."

Now that his sentence has been handed down, a tribunal in Rome will decide whether or not to defrock him.

*DW does not release the full names of those involved in criminal proceedings.

es/kms (dpa, KNA)