A Cistercian monk who assaulted three primary schoolgirls in St Mary's parish, Derry, was yesterday jailed for two years.
Father John Gerard McCallion (47), from Lifford, Co Donegal, whose address was given as Mount Melleray Abbey, Co Waterford, had pleaded guilty to nine charges of indecently assaulting the girls while on loan to the diocese from his order between May 1987 and August 1988.
McCallion has been in custody since last month when he admitted the charges at Derry Crown Court. At that hearing, Judge Thomas Burgess said he would be sentencing McCallion to jail after he had heard what effect, if any, the priest's actions had on the victims.
The defendant stood between two prison officers as the judge read his 22 minute judgment. In it, Judge Burgess referred to medical evidence which stated that when McCallion came to Derry he was suffering from incipient paedophilia, but he was not now considered to be a paedophile, nor was he a danger to children.
Judge Burgess described McCallion's actions as perverse.
"Your position as priest placed three children in the position where they would have expected any complaint made by them against you to be greeted with incredulity," Judge Burgess, told McCallion.
Each of the victims had, he said, retreated into silence to combat their trauma and feelings. The victims were blameless but the impact of the offences had led them to, feel angry, guilty, embarrassed and self blaming.
Judge Burgess said an additional impact was that the faith of the three victims in their church had been undermined, but he appealed to them to embrace their church.
Judge Burgess said while McCallion had not used violence or threatened his victims, he had used a degree of manipulation and enticement. The assaults were, he said, prolonged. McCallion had breached his sacred trust.