In a recent Roman Catholic sex abuse case, a former teacher at St. Vincent de Paul School in Stirling, N.J. has been sentenced to a 15-year prison term for producing child pornography, the (New Jersey) Echoes~Sentinel reports.

In 2016, Colin M. Skeele, 33, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography. His sentence was imposed on October 8. In addition to prison time, Skeele will be on supervised probation for another 20 years after his release and must register as a sex offender, which will prohibit him from having contact with anyone under age 18.

Skeele not only taught at the Catholic school, which closed in 2016, but in the years preceding, he also worked as a counselor at a summer camp for boys in Hardwick, N.J. from 2004 to 2011. Skeele taught at a Boonton, N.J. parochial school from 2009 to 2010, and a Stirling parochial school in 2012.

In 2011, after working as a summer camp counselor, Skeele became Facebook friends with a boy from camp, according to the Echoes~Sentinel. He sent messages to the child via Facebook and offered him money in exchange for sexually explicit photos of the boy’s body. In at least one instance, Skeele sent one of these photos to another minor from the summer camp.

Later, Skeele made contacts in the Philippines to exchange live shows of child sexual abuse. These videos occurred in real-time, and Skeele viewed and directed them through an online video and chat service, according to the newspaper. This activity continued on a number of occasions between 2012 and 2014.

According to court documents, children as young as 7 years old performed sexual acts with a 1-year-old at the direction of the adults involved, including Skeele, the Daily Record reported in 2016.

The court documents included evidence of instant messages of the transfer negotiations, in which Skeele sought out specific types (ages and genders) of children he wanted involved in the sexual abuse videos.

“He’s a former Eagle Scout with a presidential educational citation, and is doing everything he can do to rehabilitate himself, including studying for college degrees,” Skeele’s attorney told the Daily Record in 2018. “He is looking forward to getting on with his life.”

Filing a Roman Catholic Sex Abuse Lawsuit

A growing number of victims of childhood sex abuse are coming forward with their allegations, and many of these are within the Catholic church. Accusations have been lodged at church leaders, like priests and Catholic school teachers, among others, and some have also made claims against the church for covering up evidence of abuse.

If you are a victim of Catholic sex abuse in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, or California—even if that abuse occurred years or decades ago—you may be eligible to file a Roman Catholic sex abuse lawsuit.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.