A PARISH priest who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting teenage boys, including buggering an altar boy on Good Friday 1993, has been remanded in custody for sentence by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on June 27th.
The 48 year old Kilkenny priest also attempted to bugger the same teenage altar boy eight months later and sexually assaulted other young men who had, been in trouble with the law. Some of them had been assigned to him for care, it was revealed.
Most of the offences happened in the priest's bed at his home but one took place in a Galway lodging house. One of the victims said a probation officer failed to act he told him, at the age of 15, what was being done to him.
Supt Vincent Duff told Mr Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting (with Mr Stephen Lannigan O'Keefe) the matter first came to light when a youth sexually as asaulted a child in a street. The offender was a teenager the priest had brought with him to the Galway Races.
Gardai issued a description of the offender and the priest approached the gardai saying he recognised who it was. He suggested he would supervise the offender but was told the matter would have to be investigated fully.
The gardai received more information and the priest rejected allegations put to him. Reporting restrictions on naming the priest have not been lifted.
Judge Cyril Kelly was told the altar boy revealed he had been afraid to say anything because he was seared of the priest who was one of his family's best friends. The priest told the boy's family he should say nothing to the gardai.
The priest who appeared in lay clothing, admitted eight charges relating to sexual offences with male persons in the years 1989 to 1993. He pleaded guilty to buggery and attempted rape within the meaning of section 4 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, in late 1993. He also admitted indecently assaulting male persons in December 1989 and in August 1990, to sexually assaulting a male in August, 1991, and to three charges of indecently assaulting another male youth between August, 1986, and June, 1987.
Supt Duff said the priest collected the altar boy on Good Friday, 1993, and took him to his house. The boy's family had no suspicion of anything amiss. He told the boy to get into his bed where he was lying naked. The boy claimed later sexual activity including buggery went on for hours. The victim was again in the defendant's house around Christmas, 1993. Sexual assaults continued for about 30 minutes and included attempted buggery.
Supt Duff said the priest took two youths to the Galway Races in August, 1990. One of these had been referred to his care because he had nowhere to live after leaving jail. They were all sharing a room.
At the house the priest told a boy to get into bed with him. The youth refused. When he finally went to bed wearing his jeans the priest sexually assaulted him. The youth grabbed the priest by the throat and shouted at him. He was left alone after that.
Supt Duff said another youth was sexually assaulted by the priest when he returned from Lourdes at about 2 a.m. The youth, had been living at the priest's house and sleeping in his bed while he was away.
Dealing with the three charges concerning one victim, Supt Duff said this youth was put in the priest's care by a person who ran a hostel attached to a reformatory. At first, the youth had his own room, but the priest began making sexual advances.
Eventually, he got the boy to sleep with him in his bed once a week. This became more regular and masturbation as well as simulated intercourse would take place.
In evidence this victim claimed a probation officer failed to act on his allegations of what the defendant had done to him. He said the priest's actions had had a terrible effect on his life, including the break up of his marriage.
"I couldn't speak to anyone about what he done to me. He thinks that by coming here he has put everything right but he should never have started," the man said in an emotion choked voice.
Supt Duff agreed with defence counsel Mr Patrick MacEntee SC (with Ms Iseult O'Malley BL), the priest indicated at an early stage he would not put his victims through the trauma of having to give evidence in court. The defendant himself had also revealed names of victims in his statements.
Supt Duff also agreed the priest was a man who had done a tremendous amount of good work in all the parishes in which he had worked. He added that the priest had expressed remorse for his actions in statements.
A psychologist, Ms Suzanne Jenkins, said she was an independent consultant dealing with sexual offenders and victims of sexual abuse. The priest was referred to her in July, 1994.
She told Mr MacEntee her first task was "to undo the damage done by the lawyers" who had advised the priest to say nothing. Therapy had to get the client to see he must take the courageous rather than defensive way and reveal everything.
Ms Jenkins said there were four preconditions for sexual abuse. The abuser had to be predisposed to offend. He or she also had to have attitudes, thoughts, and behaviour to make it possible to overcome both internal and external inhibitions. Finally, the abuser had to overcome victim resistance.
She said sex abuse was about power and control: the abuser had to recognise he or she was personally responsible and accept that, and must also come to understand the strategies used in the pattern of abuse.
Ms Jenkins said it was absurd to say sexual abuse was spontaneous and there was no such thing, as curing it. Therapy was lifelong, and set out to replace abusive behaviour with non abusive behaviour. The active abuser was a very lonely person and the secrecy had to be broken down.
The risk for the abuser was that information revealed could lead to further legal charges but that had to be taken. Having accepted the true nature of the offending and the hurt and damage done to the victims, the abuser sets out on a lifetime of discovery. He must remain vigilant, as must all those in the control group around him. The information the abuser gives can be checked at all times.
The priest in this case did not feel at first he was an abuser and attempted to both minimise and justify his behaviour. Soon after that he began to accept the nature of his offending and shared information, of the highest quality about his manipulation of his victims. Ms Jenkins said that the priest had spoken of his sex offending to all the priests of the Diocese of Ossory who would listen.
Mr MacEntee said the priest had asked through counsel that his unreserved apology and his remorse for his offending be made public. He realised the hurt and damage he had caused them and accepted he alone was responsible.
Mr MacEntee pleaded that his client not be punished for having revealed details which had not come to the notice of the gardai otherwise. There was no suggestion of him having offended in any other area of his life.