Five and a half year prison sentence demanded

The guilt of the priest is serious in view of the number of victims and their age, said the prosecutor on Thursday before the Ticino Cantonal Criminal Court in Lugano.

The man had manipulated his victims by offering them "relaxation techniques". In addition to the prison sentence, the Ticino prosecutor demanded outpatient therapy for the 56-year-old.

The priest, who also taught at several secondary schools in Ticino, is alleged to have sexually assaulted nine people, four of whom were minors. The man has been serving an early sentence for nine months.

According to the indictment, he is accused of multiple sexual assaults, sexual acts with persons incapable of judgment or resistance, multiple sexual acts with children and multiple counts of pornography.