A convicted paedophile is suing the Roman Catholic Church of England and Wales, claiming that he suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a priest more than thirty years ago.

The paedophile, who has not been named, claims that his life was ruined and his own crimes were shaped by the abuse that was inflicted on him by a Catholic priest, who he says is now a senior figure in the Catholic Church with responsibilities for child protection.

The case will be the first brought against the Catholic Church by a convicted sex offender.

The Catholic Church has denied the allegations in strong terms. A statement from the Diocese where the priest currently works and issued by the Church's solicitors said: "These allegations are untrue and are totally denied."

The paedophile decided to bring his case in the civil courts, where the burden of proof is lower, after a four-month police inquiry collapsed last year because the alleged offences were committed so long ago. The paedophile said he initially sought an apology from the Catholic Church, but was never given one.

In statement given to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, police handling the investigation said that limits in the law and considerations for the paedophile persuaded them to drop the case.

"Officers investigating the report were doing so within the parameters of the 1956 Sexual Offences Act, which was a very different piece of legislation to that which frames sexual offences currently," the statement said.

"We also considered what effect an unsuccessful prosecution would have on the the person reporting the matter. Having taken all this into consideration a decision was taken not to pursue the matter."

In a long interview on the Today programme this morning, the convicted paedophile, who has recently served five years in prison for three crimes committed against children, said that abuse he suffered in the early 1970s, when he was sixteen years old, was the foundation for his own crimes. He had looked up to the priest, he said, but his trust was betrayed.

"I loved him, I trusted him and I revered him, and unfortunately he turned out to be the devil," said the paedophile, who was given the name "Mr Smith" by the BBC report.

"Later on in life, the abuse that I had suffered reared its ugly head. I too had become an abuser, and an abuser of the worst kind, a paedophile," said the man, who claimed he had photographs showing him on holiday with his alleged abuser.

"I groomed my victims in exactly the same way as a Catholic priest groomed me. I know that this man has other victims simply because I'm a paedophile, just like he is."

In June, the annual report from the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults showed that allegations of child abuse against the Catholic Church in England and Wales rose by half last year.

Complaints of abuse increased from 62 incidents in 2003 to 100 last year, involving 153 victims. There were 111 cases of sexual abuse, 14 of physical abuse and 11 of child pornography.

Announcing the figures, which were inflated by the number of people reporting incidents that allegedly happened up to 60 years ago, the Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, who chairs the child protection board, said that the Catholic Church was meeting its responsibilities to tackle child abuse.

"This report gives an unambiguous message that any move towards the abuse of children that takes place within the Catholic community will be noted, reported and acted upon. That is absolutely clear. There is no hiding place within the Catholic community for people who would seek to abuse vulnerable people," he said.

This morning, the convicted paedophile said that he was determined to bring his case, which he said the Catholic Church was hoping would disappear.

"This is not going to disappear, I guarantee you, despite how long ago this was. They can't ignore the matter. If the public become aware of this Catholic priest there will be major tabloid headlines," he said.

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