Courts / Wicklow / Report
Priest raped and sexually abused young boy he'd paid to do gardening
Summary
A 64‑year‑old former priest, who has been defrocked, is set to be sentenced for raping and sexually assaulting a boy he paid to work in his garden in County Wicklow between January 2005 and September 2006. The boy, who was about 13 at the time, was paid €10–€15 for gardening work, a sum that rose after the abuse began. The priest first made inappropriate remarks about the boy's puberty, then fondled him, and later carried out oral rape and sexual assault in the priest's bedroom, a presbytery, and a car. The final rape in a presbytery caused injury that required surgery and left the boy with ongoing health problems. The boy, now 24, has suffered post‑traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and panic, and has expressed feeling "almost impossible" to live. He reports difficulty holding a job, avoiding social events, and feeling he does not fit in. The unnamed 64-year-old was found guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Priest raped and sexually abused young boy he'd paid to do gardening. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- January 2005 Hearing Or Sentence
- September 2006 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2007 and 2012 Incident
- 2017-05-08 Publication
Why: The 64-year-old man, who cannot be named in order to protect the anonymity of the victim, had denied two counts of rape and four of sexually assaulting the boy in Co Wicklow between January 2005 and September 2006. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; A former priest is to be sentenced next week for raping and sexual assaulting a young boy whom he paid to do his gardening.; Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy adjourned the case to next Monday for sentence.
Places mentioned
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