Former Southampton Priest Headed To Jail For 20 Years

A former Southampton Catholic priest has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Mark Haynes, 56, pleaded guilty in June to using the Internet to entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct, transfer of obscene material to a minor, distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and destruction or concealment of evidence.

He was sentenced Wednesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania says Haynes posed as a 15-year old girl named “Katie” on a teen pen pal site on Instagram.

“As ‘Katie,’ Haynes would meet young teenage girls online, engage in sexual chats, and send them child pornography photos and videos in an attempt to entice them to take and send sexually explicit pictures of themselves,’ authorities said.

Haynes was also charged with distributing other images and videos of children being sexually assaulted over the Internet in 2014, authorities say.

After his arrest, Haynes was released on bail and “duped” an 86-year old friend of his mother into retrieving his computer from his apartment at the rectory at Saint Simon and Jude’s, the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a statement.

“Haynes then destroyed the computer, discarding the hard drive in a dumpster in New Jersey,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

At sentencing, the judge heard testimony from victims regarding Haynes’ sexual abuse of children from his parish at Saint Ann’s in Phoenixville as far back as 1985 through 1991.

Since his ordination in 1985, Haynes has served at multiple parishes in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, including:

• St. Ann, Phoenixville
• Saints Simon and Jude Parish, West Chester
• Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Doylestown
• St. John of the Cross, Roslyn
• Our Lady of Good Counsel, Southampton
• St. Pius X, Broomall
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Morton
• Annunciation B.V.M., Havertown

He has also worked as a chaplain at Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick ordered 10 years of supervised release, a fine of $15,000, and a $700 special assessment.