Priest admits sexual assault

A Navan-born priest has pleaded guilty at the Crown Court at Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, to four counts of indecently assaulting…

A Navan-born priest has pleaded guilty at the Crown Court at Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, to four counts of indecently assaulting two boys in 1976 and 1977 in Greater Manchester.

Patrick Gerald Maguire (62), who has been undergoing therapy for sex offenders in Epsom, Surrey, for about a year, will be sentenced in June.

At an earlier hearing at Kingston Magistrates Court in February, Ms Sophie Judge, prosecuting, said Maguire held a position of trust as a priest and friend of the family of the victims. He took the boys away on holiday and carried out the sex assaults after creeping into their bed at night.