CNN American news reporter Thomas Roberts, who came out in September 2006, has revealed that he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest .

In a interview on news show Anderson Cooper 360, Roberts described how the abuse began when he was 14, following his parents' divorce, and lasted for three years.

"It took me nearly 20 years to gather the strength to help put my abuser behind bars," he said. Now, a year after 'justice' was done, I am ready to tell my story publicly in ways I never have before."

In 2005, Roberts testified against former priest Jerome F Toohey Jr, who was Roberts' teacher at Calvert Hall College High School in US state Maryland.

Toohy pleaded guilty and was sentenced to jail for five years. However, his sentenced was lessened in December, and after serving only 10 months, a court decided to allow him to serve home detention.