A former altar boy is suing the Archbishop of Birmingham for more than £100,000 for sexual abuse by a Coventry priest.

The man, now 33, alleges he was sexually molested by Father Christopher Clonan on occasions "too numerous" to chronicle between the ages of 12 and 17.

He launched his claim at Birmingham High Court this week.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was a pupil at Christ the King junior school in Coundon, Coventry and Cardinal Newman secondary school, both of which are affiliated to nearby Christ the King Church, where Clonan was the assistant parish priest.

He spent 20 years there until, in 1992, eight former altar boys accused him of molesting them and he fled to Australia. He died in 1998 of a brain haemorrhage, aged 56.

The victim, an altarboy at Christ the King Church aged about nine, said the "forceful homosexual assaults" took place inside or near the church while he was involved in church activities.

As a result of the attacks he developed depression and a dependence on alcohol. He said he suffered anxiety attacks and an impaired ability to function at work and socially, or form relationships, and his experiences left him angry, guilty and unhappy.

He accuses the Church of failing to act on information given via Christ the King parish priest Father Michael McTernan in 1974, to the effect that Father Clonan had committed similar sexual acts on other young boys. He also alleged that they failed to put in place a system of reporting abuse, or take adequate measures to protect youths who came into contact with him.

"By reasons of the matters complained of, the claimant has suffered pain, injury, humiliation and hurt to his feelings and has sustained loss and damage," the claim states.

"The claimant suffered psychiatric difficulties as a result of the repeated forceful homosexual assaults of Father Clonan. The sexual acts caused the claimant to suffer from enduring personality change after catastrophic experience, mixed anxiety and depressive disorder."

In July 2005 a man who claimed he was sexually abused by Clonan as a boy was awarded a record £700,000 in damages by the High Court.

The victim, now 37, was abused over 10 years between the age of seven and 18. Clonan was the man's priest and family friend. He now suffers from schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the sexual abuse, which often took place several times a week.

In January 2004 another man was awarded £330,000 for similar abuse at the hands of Clonan.

Born in Clonard, Co Meath, in the Irish Republic, Clonan moved to Christ the King, in Coventry, in the 1970s. A part-time builder and property developer before he entered the priesthood, he was nicknamed "Father Fix It" for his abilities in church construction projects.

When he went to Australia he is believed to have posed as Christie Oliver, a property developer, in the town of Bendigo, 90 miles north of Melbourne, where his brother Andrew lives.

Peter Jennings, press secretary to the Archdiocese of Birmingham, said last night: "This matter is being dealt with by our advisers in a professional and thorough manner."