A Catholic priest who abused boys in Coventry, Coleshill and Cheadle has been found guilty of 21 sexual offences against eight children.

Alexander Bede Walsh, aged 58, of Abbots Bromley, was convicted by a jury following a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Walsh was found guilty of 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of a serious sexual offence.

He was found not guilty of six charges.

Walsh, who was remanded in custody, will now be sentenced at the same court on March 9.

The offences were all committed on boys aged between eight and 16 in the 1970s, 80s and 90s when he served as a priest.

Six boys were abused in Coventry, one boy was abused in Coleshill, Warwickshire, and one was abused in Cheadle in Staffordshire.

During the trial the jury heard from all eight victims, now adults, who disclosed the abuse they had suffered at the hands of Walsh, who maintained his innocence throughout.

The detailed investigation into Walsh's crimes, headed by DC Tim Bailey, began back in 2009 when two victims independently contacted police at Cheadle to report the abuse.

Inquiries led to a further two victims coming forward.

A file was presented to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in December 2010 and sufficient evidence led to Walsh being charged with 19 sexual offences against boys.

The publicity surrounding the case led to a further four victims coming forward, bringing the total to eight, and Walsh stood trial for 27 offences.

DC Bailey said: "I welcome today's conviction and hope it goes some way to helping the victims move on with their lives.

"They were all subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of a man they, and their families, completely trusted.

"This has been a very difficult case to investigate. The distress and trauma experienced by the victims has stayed with them all of their lives and it has taken a great deal of strength for each of them to give evidence."

Inspector Clare Riley, commander of Staffordshire Moorlands Local Policing Team (LPT), said: "This case has undoubtedly had an impact on the Cheadle community, as Walsh once served in the town as a priest.

But his wrongdoing has been uncovered.

"Staffordshire Police is committed to helping all victims of sexual abuse and I would encourage anyone who has suffered such a crime to report it to us."