Court upholds priest sentence

Rennes - A fundamentalist French Catholic priest sentenced to jail on manslaughter charges in the drowning of four boys at his summer camp lost an appeal against the verdict yesterday. Jean-Yves Cottard, who ran the camp in Brittany despite having no qualifications to teach sailing, has five days to make a final appeal against the verdict of 18 months in jail and a further 2 1/2 years suspended sentence, court officials said.