A WORLD-renowned conductor who abused a boy who saw him as a “surrogate father” is back behind bars.

Joseph Cullen, 58, was the choir master and organist at St Andrews Cathedral in Glasgow and choir master at St Aloysius Church in Garnethill between 1976 and 1985.

The dad-of-three, who has worked at Westminster Cathedral and the London Symphony Chorus, winning two Grammy awards abused a nine year-old boy who joined a choir at St Andrews Cathedral.

He called the child his “special friend” and told him not to tell anyone because it was their secret.

Cullen, from Leeds, Yorkshire pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to a charge of using lewd and libidinous conduct towards the schoolboy between January 1981 and December 1984.

Yesterday sheriff Martin Jones QC jailed Cullen for 10 months.

He said: “The offence to which you have pleaded guilty to involves the sexual abuse of a young boy between nine and 12 at the time, when he was particularly vulnerable.

“You were in a position of trust. You took advantage of that position and you sexually abused him over three years.”

The sheriff added: “The crime which you committed all those years ago remains serious, that’s not diluted by the passage of time.”

In July 2015 he was jailed for 12 months at the High Court in Glasgow for two other charges of using lewd and libidinous conduct at both cathedrals against two other boys.

The court earlier heard the child joined the choir at nine years-old and was a keen singer.He experienced family problems which was a “memorable time in his life”.

Procurator fiscal depute Niall Macdonald said: “Cullen became more involved in the complainer’s life, taking him out on trips, driving him home from choir practice.”