Court affirms sex abuse conviction of ex-friar who worked at a Catholic school in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction of a former Franciscan friar in the sexual abuse of a student at a Catholic school. In a split decision Tuesday, a majority of the appeals court found “no reversible error” in the conviction of Paul West. The 63-year-old is in the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. Leflore County jurors in 2022 found him guilty of one count of sexual battery and one count of gratification of lust — charges stemming from his time at St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood, which is now closed. A judge sentenced West to 30 years on the first count and 15 years on the second count.