A CATHOLIC priest faces a prison sentence for sexually assaulting young boys in his care.

Father James Murphy, 53, carried out a series of abuse in four south London parishes including Our Lady and St Philip Neri, in Sydenham.

Murphy pleaded guilty to 18 charges of indecent assault against seven children but police fear the true number of victims may run into hundreds.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Roy Probert said: "It wouldn't surprise me if it was thousands -- he had the opportunity to abuse boys every day."

According to DC Probert, Murphy carried out the disgusting attacks on altar boys and servers after gaining the trust of parents in the parish.

DC Probert said: "He would run discos and get involved with the scout movement.

"He was so respected in the communities, the boys didn't have the courage to speak out, until now, and they are very angry."

According to the officer, Murphy lured one victim to his room by offering to show him a stamp collection.

Two other boys were assaulted while on a school trip to Butlins.

He added other victims were attacked in the sacristy of the church and the presbytery where he lived.

A former Sydenham altar-boy, who wishes to remain anonymous, remembers Murphy as a popular figure in the community.

He said: "I felt sick when I heard the news.

"Everyone in the community is really shocked."

He added: "I was about six or seven when he came to the parish and he did my first Holy Communion."

The altar boy, who was not harmed by the priest, said Murphy would organise events and parish days and did a lot of work for charity.

He added: "He would take us swimming after school and organise a mini-bus to pick us up outside the school gates.

"On scout camps, he used to invite parents down but still offered to tuck the boys up at night."

Many of the victims have moved to other parts of the country and DC Probert even travelled to New York to speak to a former altar boy.

He said the earliest case police investigated was in 1978 but Murphy was in south east London until 1990.

The now-dismissed Roman Catholic priest's first post was at The Church of the Good Shepherd at Addington, Surrey.

He then moved on to the Church of the English Martyrs in Streatham before joining Our Lady and St Philip Neri for most of the 1980s.

His final appointment was with St Gertrudes in Purley Oaks, Croydon.

DC Probert said: "He left Croydon quite abruptly to return to Ireland where he has been for the past 10 years."

He added: "When we first questioned him about the abuse he denied it."

The investigation began in July last year and Murphy pleaded guilty to the charges at Camberwell Magistrates' Court on May 11 this year.

He was released on conditional bail and now lives in West Wickham.

He will be sentenced at the Inner London Court, Southwark, on Friday (July 28).